Pakistan Is Not Gaza: We Will Not Let You Kill Our Children

On the silent night of May 7, 2025, as much of the world slept, India launched a brutal and unprovoked assault on Pakistani soil, an act that will be remembered not just for its military recklessness, but for the innocent lives it shattered. From its territory, India carried out 26 airstrikes targeting six different locations inside Pakistan. What followed was not a victory against any so-called terrorism, but a massacre of the innocent. Among those killed were women, children, and unarmed civilians, the very soul of Pakistan.

One of the most heart-wrenching tragedies unfolded in Ahmedpur East. There, in the ruins of a residential neighborhood turned to rubble by Indian missiles, rescue workers found the lifeless body of a three-year-old girl. A child who didn’t even know what the word “war” meant, a soul so pure, she likely fell asleep to the lullabies of her mother and never woke up again. Who will answer for her death? Who will be held responsible for a child who had no enemy, no past, no politics, only a future stolen by India’s cruelty?

Nothing short of savage can describe what India did on May 7.  There were eight defenseless Pakistanis who gave their lives that night.  Two people are still missing, presumed dead or buried by the debris, while 35 others were hurt, some seriously.  Explosions may be heard instead of the call to prayer in Bahawalpur, Kotli, Muridke, and Muzaffarabad.  Harems were attacked.  Damage to homes was severe.  Separation of families occurred.  Indian officials attempted to downplay the tragedy by claiming it was a preventative strike against “terror infrastructure,” but they omitted the fact that the buildings targeted were homes for children and places of worship.  Families’ homes and hospitals were there.

Pakistan is not Gaza, the world must hear. We will not be reduced to a haunting cemetery of bombed-out cities and butchered children as the rest of the world looks on in hushed horror.  We take great pride in our history of resisting aggression as a sovereign nation armed with nuclear weapons.  As our daughters lie in the dust and blood, Pakistan will not remain silent, unlike Gaza, which has endured decades of occupation and worldwide indifference.

According to Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the Director General of Information and Public Relations (DG ISPR), India’s assault was a “cowardly and unprovoked act of war.”  In his account, he described the senseless and unprovoked bombing of nine cities and towns in Pakistan.  Widespread and indiscriminate, the bombings did not restrict themselves to military sites or purported training camps.  Disincentive was not the goal.  Devastation ensued.

Less than two weeks have passed since the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir, which India occupies, claimed the lives of 26 innocent people. This latest escalation by India follows suit.  A now-common political scapegoating ploy, India swiftly blamed Pakistan without conducting an investigation or international investigation.  India disregarded Pakistan’s demand for an unbiased international investigation.  It opted instead for rockets rather than diplomacy, propaganda rather than peace, and killing rather than talking.

However, things have changed this time.  Pakistanis are wide awake, vigilant, and furious.  Its military forces have the full support of the country.  We shall not be silenced by a nation that gives in to bullying.  Pakistan now is different from Pakistan of yesteryear; it is a Pakistan that fights back with unity, strength, and resolve.  Aggression will not be tolerated in our skies.  Violating our borders will have repercussions.

The assault on the Ahmedpur East girl goes beyond mere physical aggression.  A crime against humanity.  It is unlawful to target people, particularly children, according to international law, particularly the Geneva Conventions and the Law of Armed Conflict.  Nothing can rationalize this barbarism from a military, strategic, or diplomatic standpoint.  No country can afford to turn a blind eye.  The world feels the weight of every child’s disappearance.  Every death of a civilian calls for redress.

To the people of India; not the war-hungry politicians, but the ordinary citizens; we ask: Do you feel safer tonight knowing your government has killed a toddler? Do you feel proud that your military targets mosques and maternity wards? Your silence now is complicity. History will judge not just the men who gave the orders, but the nation that stayed quiet.

To the world powers who preach human rights and international order: where are your statements? Where are your sanctions, your condemnations, your emergency sessions? When Gaza bleeds, the world debates. When Ukraine cries, the world sends arms. But when Pakistan buries a child, do your tongues freeze?

The time has come to draw a line. Pakistan is not just defending its borders; it is defending the principle that no nation has the right to murder the innocent in the name of politics. This is not about nationalism. This is about humanity. Today, it was a three-year-old girl in Ahmedpur East. Tomorrow, it could be anyone’s child.

We do not seek war. But if war is imposed upon us, we will not be silent. We will not forget. And we will not forgive easily.