Sharif: Pakistan Will Respond to Attacks with Full Force

Speaking in Lachin at a concert marking Azerbaijan’s 107th Independence Day, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to peace but stressed the right to self-defense. Referring to recent tensions with India, Sharif said Pakistan was wrongly blamed for a deadly incident in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and that India responded with an attack killing 33 Pakistani civilians, including women and children. “We had to defend ourselves and downed six Indian warplanes,” he said. Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire for peace but warned, “If Pakistan is attacked, we will respond with all our might.