Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: A press conference held by Pakistan’s military on Thursday, marking the first anniversary of the 2025 India-Pakistan military confrontation, triggered sharp reactions online. Soon after India began its press conference, Pakistan also held a presser to mark the anniversary of what it termed as “Marka-e-haq”.However, reacting to India’s remarks, Pakistan army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry questioned why Indian military officials addressed the media in English during India’s Operation Sindoor anniversary briefing.
The remarks came shortly after India’s director general of military operations (DGMO) and senior officers addressed the press about the operation launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists.Speaking during Pakistan’s media interaction, Chaudhry said, “A little while ago, the Indian DGMO and senior officers did a press briefing. First of all, why are they speaking English? Is it because you want to tell the world what happened?”The statement quickly went viral on social media, where several users criticised the Pakistani military for focusing on language instead of addressing the substance of India’s counter-terror operation and the broader security concerns that led to the strikes.
Netizens question Pakistan’s criticism
Several users online mocked the remarks, arguing that the criticism reflected Pakistan’s discomfort with India presenting its position to a global audience.One user wrote, “Pakistani officer’s complaint: ‘Why are Indian DGMO and senior officers speaking English in a press briefing?’ Imagine — objecting to a language, not the substance.”Another user pointed to India’s linguistic diversity and the inclusion of Hindi during the Indian briefing. “Pakistan has a problem with understanding India’s diversity. By the way Women spokespersons from Army and Airforce spoke in Hindi,” the user said.Another post read, “What a country this is. Pakistani army is crying over indian DGMO press conference in English. Can you believe it. Just because indian DGMO did press conference in English, Pakistani army is crying that why did they do this.”The remarks also reignited discussions around India’s multilingual military communication strategy, which often alternates between English and Hindi to cater to the national language diversity.The comments came as Pakistan observed the first anniversary of what it calls “Marka-e-Haq”, the four-day military confrontation with India in May 2025. In a statement issued from Rawalpindi late on May 6 and early May 7, Pakistan’s military described the episode as a “defining chapter” in the country’s military history and reiterated its preparedness for future conflicts.
Operation Sindoor launched after Pahalgam terror attack
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 people, primarily tourists, were killed.Indian forces carried out airstrikes targeting nine terror infrastructure sites located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. According to Indian authorities, at least 100 terrorists were eliminated during the operation.The strikes led to a rapid military escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, with Pakistan attempting retaliatory attacks that Indian defence systems and forces largely intercepted and neutralised.Hostilities eventually de-escalated on May 10 after military officials from both countries held talks through established hotline channels.
