PM Shehbaz briefed on country’s preparations for India ‘threat’ during visit to ISI HQ

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) on Tuesday, where he was briefed on the country’s preparation for a “conventional threat” amid the ongoing tensions with India.

The high-level visit comes nearly a week after Pakistan said it expected a military action by India in the wake of a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. India, without investigation or evidence, implied “cross-border linkages” of the att­a­­­c­kers. Pakistan has firmly rejected the claim and called for a neutral probe.

“The visit entailed a detailed briefing on the prevailing security environment, with a particular focus on preparedness for [a] conventional threat in the light of India’s increasingly aggressive and provocative posture along Pakistan’s eastern border,” a statement from the PM Office (PMO) said.

“The leadership was apprised of regional security developments and the evolving threat matrix, including conventional military options, hybrid warfare tactics and terrorist proxies,” it added.

The premier was accompanied by Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and the services chiefs, the PMO said.

The services chiefs — Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar — were part of the visiting team, according to a group photo released on the occasion.

The picture also showed ISI Director General Lt Gen Muhammad Asim Malik — who was recently appointed as the country’s national security adviser — and the military’s media spokesperson, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, present there.

PM Shehbaz and the accompanying dignitaries “underscored the imperative of heightened national vigilance, seamless inter-agency coordination, and reinforced operational readiness to deter and decisively respond to any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, the PMO said.

Commending the ISI’s “professionalism and strategic acumen”, the prime minister lauded its “critical role in safeguarding national interests and enabling informed national security decision-making under complex and dynamic conditions”.

“Pakistan Army is one of the most professional and disciplined force in the world,” the premier was quoted as saying. He reaffirmed that the entire nation was standing with “our brave armed forces”.

“The leadership reaffirmed Pakistan’s unambiguous resolve to defend the homeland against all threats — conventional or otherwise,” the statement read.

The leaders reiterated that with the nation’s full support, the armed forces, supported by all other elements of national power and state institutions, remained “fully prepared to uphold Pakistan’s security, prestige, and honour under all circumstances”.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have spiked since the former’s aggressive measures following the Pahalgam attack.

Pakistan has reinforced its forces and has conducted two missile tests in a short span of three days. On the other hand, India’s premier has granted “operational freedom” to his military.

As temperatures remain high, with the military warning of a “swift” response to any misadventure by New Delhi, diplomatic channels have remained engaged to prevent conflict.

Pakistan has also taken the matter to the United Nations Security Council, which was briefed on the country’s stance on the Pahalgam attack and India’s “unsubstantiated” allegations.

In the latest moves by the two nuclear-armed nations, the Civil Defence in Rawalpindi has activated its 14 posts in the garrison city while all states in India are set to conduct mock drills for “effective civil defence”.

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