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Some of Pakistan’s prominent stars appeared on TV on Thursday to commemorate the first anniversary of the country’s war against India.

Actors Adnan Siddiqui, Aijaz Aslam, Bushra Ansari and Resham joined host Waseem Badami for a special transmission, recounting how they felt during the fighting and what they think the result of the conflict was.

Ansari went first, recalling that she was in Denmark on a fundraising trip when she got news of the Indian missile attacks in Pakistan. She said every Pakistani’s heart sank at the news, with spirits only lifting after word came in of the devastating losses Pakistan had inflicted on the aggressors.

Resham went next, saying she was in Pakistan and couldn’t sleep the night Indian missiles fell. “My first thought was to pray, ‘Dear God, bless my country, its people and those who stand ready to defend it.’”

She said she could hear “terrifying noises” coming from outside her house, so she continued to pray and knew in her heart that the Pakistani people could count on their armed forces to defend the country from foreign aggression.

She said she salutes the members of the armed forces who kept guard and the mothers who are willing to sacrifice their children in the service of the country.

Aslam said he was worried about the destruction a war with India would bring, but felt so much better when he heard reports of downed Indian fighter jets. He and Badami agreed that they had always heard and believed that Pakistan could defend itself, but it was something to see it in practice.

Siddiqui said he was in the US when India launched their attack, but clarified that he wouldn’t use that exact word to describe their actions. “It wasn’t an attack, it was a display of cowardice. They attacked a mosque, killed kids, that’s no great feat of war.”

He said there were Indians with him at the time and even they didn’t agree with what their government had done, attacking unarmed civilians and children. He compared the downing of India’s prized Rafale aircraft to the sinking of the Titanic — “They said it couldn’t happen, but it did.”

Ansari said the war could be compared to the fable of the hare and the tortoise, with Pakistan’s consistent and unending efforts resulting in a clear victory over a better equipped and more powerful foe.

Resham told Badami war was a horrific thing, “people die children are orphaned, women are widowed”. She said it was fought not just with weapons, but also with spirits. “Our people have that warrior spirit, our armed forces have it, I can’t say I’ve seen it anywhere else.”

Aslam said Pakistan’s performance in the war showed the world what its people were made of. He attributed much of the country’s post-war success to the fact that people realised its strength during the conflict.

Siddiqui felt India wasn’t very keen on accepting the defeat, noting that this wasn’t the first time Pakistan had outwitted its neighbour, which keeps attacking every once in a while. “They keep forgetting the lesson,” he told Badami.