File photo. Courtesy ISPR
Pakistan Army chief reiterates aim of playing responsible role to achieve regional peace
The Pakistan Army will continue to play a responsible and positive role toward achieving regional peace without any compromise on national security or the defense of the motherland, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Tuesday.
Addressing the 228th Corps Commanders’ Conference at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the COAS said Pakistan had already made significant contributions for peace and stability in its immediate region. “Pakistan is one of the lead participations [sic] with significant contributions towards peace and stability efforts in the region,” Gen. Bajwa was quoted saying in a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate. “We shall continue to play our responsible and positive role towards this end without compromising national security and defense of the motherland at whatever cost,” it added.
According to ISPR, the Army chief also slammed as “irresponsible rhetoric” recent statements by the Indian military leadership hinting at aggression against Pakistan, noting such commentary could have serious implications for regional peace and stability. Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane last week claimed that, if ordered to do so by Parliament, he was ready the armed forces in ‘retaking’ Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The statement was roundly criticized by Pakistan’s Foreign Office as well as the military.
The ISPR statement noted that the Corps Commanders’ Conference reviewed the prevailing geostrategic, regional and national security environment, with the participants discussing Pakistan’s internal security, the ongoing situation along the country’s borders, especially the Line of Control dividing Jammu and Kashmir between Pakistan and India, and New Delhi’s ongoing lockdown of India-held Kashmir.
The meeting also reviewed the evolving security situation in the Middle East in light of tensions between the U.S. and Iran following Washington’s assassination of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. The implications of the ongoing unrest on regional peace and stability were reviewed, added ISPR.