Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that Indians “believe in Akhand Bharat” while asserting that Hindus living in Pakistan would prefer to remain there rather than move to India.

Speaking at an Independence Day gathering on August 14, Zardari said Pakistanis and Indians held different views but claimed that Hindus in Pakistan were free to practise their religion.

“The Indians believe in Akhand Bharat. But we are Muslims. They are not. But we are Muslims of the mindset that tolerates. We have a 4% Hindu population in Pakistan. They are as free as anywhere else. They would rather be with us than India,” Zardari said in a video which is going viral on social media.

President Zardari’s claim of #Pakistan being a sanctuary of tolerance ignores a grim reality. At Partition in 1947, non-Muslims made up over 20% of West Pak’s population, whereas today the #Hindu minority sits at around 4%.
1/4@FarazPervaiz3 @ImtiazMadmood pic.twitter.com/FDHNDMPHqL

— Karthik (@Karthik00a) August 15, 2026

Zardari made the remarks while discussing Pakistan’s relationship with India, the role of the armed forces and the wider geopolitical situation in the region. Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day a day before India.

Pakistan Leadership Calls For Peace, Unity

Pakistan’s top political and military leadership called for national unity, peace and economic development as the country marked its 80th Independence Day on Friday.

In his Independence Day message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan wanted peace but warned that its desire for peace should not be interpreted as weakness.

“We do not want war; we want peace. But the desire for peace should not be taken as weakness,” Sharif said.

Referring to last year’s four-day conflict with India, Sharif said Pakistan remained committed to protecting its national interests, including its rights over water resources. He also said Islamabad would continue working as a responsible nation and a stabilising force for regional and global peace.

Sharif Raises Indus Waters Treaty, Kashmir

On May 7, 2025, India launched Operation Sindoor against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed.

India and Pakistan later reached an understanding to end the four-day conflict, which saw intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Sharif accused India of “unilaterally and illegally suspending” the Indus Waters Treaty.

“I declare in clear words that every single drop of Pakistan's water is our red line,” he said.

New Delhi suspended the treaty last year as part of measures taken against Islamabad following the Pahalgam terror attack.

Sharif also raised the Kashmir issue and urged Afghanistan’s leadership to ensure that its territory was not used for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

He also highlighted Pakistan’s trilateral defence agreement with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, describing it as evidence of the country’s growing regional role.