By Hafeed Akhtar Mukhtar
(This article was originally written in Urdu a few hours before the India-Pakistan skirmish ceasefire.)

INDIA'S recent aggression against Pakistan is, in fact, an extension of Israeli attacks. The immediate cause is the rising demand from the Pakistani public for the state to launch jihad in support of Palestine and Jerusalem. This demand is based on a unanimous religious ruling (fatwa) issued by renowned Islamic scholars of Pakistan, which further intensified public sentiment.

Israel currently seeks to crush every power in the world that could pose a threat to it—either now or in the future. The enmity between Israel and Pakistan is not new; it is rooted in ideology. On March 23, 1940, during the historic session of the All-India Muslim League in Lahore, alongside the Pakistan Resolution, a resolution in favor of Palestine was also passed, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, clearly stated in 1940—even before the establishment of Israel—that Jews were unlawfully occupying Palestinian land, and he rejected this act, seeing it as the beginning of an illegitimate takeover of Palestinian territory.

In December 1947, Jinnah wrote a letter to U.S. President Harry Truman, rejecting the proposed partition of Palestine. He warned that this decision would harm not only Palestinians but also the Jews themselves. He raised his voice against the injustice being inflicted upon the Palestinian people and labeled Israel as the "illegitimate child of the West." On the other hand, Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, declared Pakistan as Israel’s "real ideological enemy."

Israel’s relations with Pakistan’s other major adversary, India, have deepened over time. Under the rule of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), these ties have reached new heights, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has significantly strengthened cooperation with Israel. Today, India and Israel have become ideological and military allies. Israel is regularly advising India to deal with Pakistan and Indian Muslims the same way it deals with Palestinians. India appears to be following this path.

According to the news agency Reuters, India purchased $2.9 billion worth of military equipment from Israel over the past decade, including radars, surveillance devices, drones, and missiles. In the recent attack, India used Israeli-made “Harop” drones, which Pakistan claims to have shot down. According to Pakistan, all 77 drones were destroyed.

Pakistan currently benefits from advanced Chinese technology, which has given its air force an edge over India. In Pakistan’s retaliatory strike, India suffered heavy losses, including the destruction of five of its expensive fighter jets.

After the tragic incident in Pahalgam, where 26 tourists were killed, India, without any investigation, immediately blamed Pakistan and used the incident as a pretext for military action. Indian media, biased analysts, and war-hungry defense experts created a warlike atmosphere and began openly declaring that Pakistan should be completely destroyed and split into three parts. They also portrayed the idea that Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were ready to secede from Pakistan and would declare independence as soon as India attacked. This indicates that India has been active in these regions for a long time.

However, in the current skirmish, India’s planning did not succeed. The entire nation of Pakistan stood united, and after the retaliatory strike, India faced global embarrassment. Will India now stop? That seems unlikely.

By threatening to terminate the Indus Waters Treaty and initiating a "water war," India has further escalated the intensity and scope of this conflict. Pakistan has made it explicitly clear that any attempt to block water will be considered a declaration of war and will be met with a strong response. However, the principle of defense is not just to defend—but also to advance.

Kashmir is a part of Pakistan. It is its jugular vein, currently under illegal Indian occupation. Pakistan’s water survival depends on the Indus River and its tributaries (Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, Beas), which originate in Kashmir or adjacent Himalayan regions. India’s control over these rivers could, in the future, cause the Pakistani population to die of hunger and thirst. There have been several occasions in the past when Pakistan could have taken control of Kashmir, especially during the 1948 Indo-Pak war and the 1962 Sino-Indian war, but those opportunities were wasted. Now that war has already begun, ending it before the liberation of Kashmir would be a significant loss for Pakistan. This is a matter of survival. Pakistan is incomplete without Kashmir. First, complete yourself.

Pakistan must fight for Kashmir and also for Palestine. At this critical time, the entire Muslim world should support Pakistan. The war for Palestine is, in fact, a global war. The entire Muslim Ummah must take part and contribute according to its capacity and position. The Christian world should also stand with Muslims, because according to our faith, Muslims and Christians will unite upon the return of Jesus (peace be upon him). It is important for Muslims to convey this belief to Christians.