Mohammad Rizwan responds to Indian armed forces' strikes in Pakistan: 'If war is imposed upon you, do not retreat'

Pakistan ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan has called for his country to not “retreat from the war that has been imposed on them” following the Indian armed forces’ strikes in Lahore, Rawalpindi and other parts of the country on Thursday. Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan nosedived after the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April, and tensions have only escalated further following the commencement of ‘ Operation Sindoor ’ by the Indian armed force and retaliatory fire by Islamabad.

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“We have learned from the pure words of Allah (SWT) that war should not be initiated — but if war is imposed upon you, then do not retreat.

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“Pakistan has long been a victim of terrorism. Our generations have grown up hearing the rattle of gunfire and the echoes of explosions,” Rizwan wrote on X amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.

‘Soil of this land is stained with the blood of martyrs’

The wicketkeeper-batter also labelled Pakistan a “victim of terrorism” whose soil is stained with the “blood of martyrs”.

“The soil of this land is stained with the blood of martyrs. And even today, there are young people here who love death the way some people love life. No one can defeat such a nation. Every war forced upon them only becomes a reason to unite them further, awaken them, and make them stronger.

“This is a message for all those who have the ability to understand.

“We must have courage. We must have faith. We must neither commit oppression nor endure it,” the 32-year-old added in his statement.

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The Indian armed forces responded to the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on 22 April with ‘Operation Sindoor’ – which began with a series of co-ordinated missile attacks on terror camps in Pakistan as well as in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday.

That was followed by strikes aimed at air defence radars and systems at several locations in Pakistan the following day, taking out the air defence system in Lahore in the process.

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Pakistan Army had responded to Wednesday’s strikes with artillery fire aimed at civilian areas in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch and other areas located close to the Line Of Control, leaving 16 dead.

Pakistan also attempted to target military facilities in northern and western India in the early hours of Thursday, including in cities such as Srinagar, Amritsar, Chandigarh, etc. The attacks, however, were neutralised by Integrated Counter-UAS Grid and Air Defence systems.