NEW DELHI: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari admitted that he was advised to take shelter in a bunker for his safety during the four-day confrontation with India in May, a remark that underscored the extent of India’s ability to strike deep into mainland Pakistan.Also Read | In a first, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif admits India hit Nur Khan Airbase during Operation SindoorAccording to Zardari, the advice came from his military secretary, though he claimed he refused to take shelter.“I had actually told him (secretary) four days earlier that a war was going to happen. But he came to me and said, ‘Sir, let’s go to the bunkers.’ I replied, ‘If martyrdom is to come, it will come here. Leaders don’t die in bunkers; they die on the battlefield. They don’t die sitting in bunkers,’” Zardari said on Saturday at a rally marking the death anniversary of his wife and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007.

He added that every worker of his Pakistan Peoples Party was ready to sacrifice his life for the nation.Zardari also responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “roti khao, varna meri goli toh hai hi” (eat your food peacefully, or else my bullet is waiting for you) warning to Pakistan, saying that it would be Pakistan that would fire the bullets.He further remarked that India may have an economy 10 times larger than Pakistan’s, but questioned where it would find the “courage” to fight a war.Operation SindoorIndian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor on the intervening night of May 6–7 in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The strikes targeted nine terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.Pakistan responded to the operation, triggering further retaliation by Indian forces, which subsequently struck around a dozen Pakistani air force bases.On May 10, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart seeking a ceasefire, which was accepted.India has consistently maintained that Operation Sindoor has only been “halted” and would be resumed in the future if required.(With ANI inputs)