President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated the Yadgar-e-Fatah monument in Islamabad, built to honour the country’s martyrs and commemorate the victory in Marka-e-Haq, on the eve of Pakistan’s 80th Independence Day.

President Zardari attended the ceremony as the chief guest. PM Shehbaz, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi were also present.

Other notable attendees included foreign dignitaries, military officers, ministers and families of martyrs who laid down their lives for the motherland.

The armed forces, civil armed forces and contingents from all four provinces participated in the ceremony. They presented a guard of honour to the president, the premier and CDF Munir upon their arrival.

The monument commemorates Pakistan’s victory over India in the brief military conflict in May last year, during which the country shot down more than six Indian fighter jets and demonstrated its professional expertise across various domains.

The term “Marka-e-Haq” refers to the 2025 conflict with India, which began with the April 22 Pahalgam attack and concluded with a ceasefire on May 10 following Operation Bunyanum Marsoos.

More to follow….