Pakistan is impregnable, says COAS

PESHAWAR: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday said that threatening foreign forces must understand that no one could dare harm Pakistan.

He said that no amount of care could return the value of their patriotism and sacrifices, which is leading us to a peaceful and stable Pakistan. He expressed these views during his visit to the residence of Muhammad Ali Khan at Gharhkhel in Karak whose three sons and two nephews laid down their lives for the country.

Muhammad Ali has eight sons and three of them, including Lance Naik Khurshid of Frontier Corps, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Naib Subedar Umar Daraz, FC KP, and Havaldar Sher Daraz, Pak Army, have laid down their lives for the motherland in various military operations. Three are presently serving in the FC KP and Pak Army.

Besides his sons, his two nephews, Sepoy Hazrat Ali and Sepoy Lal Marjan of Pak Army also sacrificed their lives for the country. His four nephews are presently serving in the Pakistan Army. The COAS paid rich tributes to the family for their sacrifices and said that till the time they had such parents and brave sons, no threat could harm Pakistan.

General Bajwa said that no amount of care could return the value of their patriotism and sacrifices that made Pakistan a peaceful and stable country. Muhammad Ali Khan and his family thanked the COAS for visiting them and announcing a special welfare package (in addition to the martyrdom entitlement) for them and the village. Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed Butt was also present.

Earlier, Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited North Waziristan and laid a floral wreath at the Shuhada monument in Miranshah. General officer commanding gave a detailed briefing on the security situation, rehabilitation of TDPs and progress on socio-economic development projects in the agency. The COAS also visited newly-constructed border forts and fencing along the Pak-afghan border. The COAS appreciated efforts of the formation for speedy and quality work for border security measures. Lieutenant General Nazir Ahmed Butt, Commander, Peshawar Corps, was also present during the visit.

Meanwhile, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's statement on Donald Trump's anti-Pakistan message was a very good indication that the country is united under one narrative.

Talking to Geo News in programme 'Capital Talk', Asif Ghafoor welcomed Nawaz's statement regarding the US. He added that the need of the hour for the country is to remain united in order to tackle the challenges which Pakistan faces.

To a question, the DG ISPR said Nawaz Sharif should bringforward evidence if there was any conspiracy. To another question, he said Pakistan has taken action against the Haqqani network and the effects will be visible in due course of time.

"Effects of these operations cannot be visible immediately," he said, adding, "Only time will show how effective these operations were (in establishing peace within the region)." The DG ISPR added that the Pakistan Army carried out operations against the Haqqanis and in North Waziristan after the capacity of security forces was increased.

In response to a question regarding the US drone attacks in the settled areas of Pakistan, Asif Ghafoor said the country will respond to such acts according to the aspirations of its people.

Commenting on the recent developments in Pak-US relations, he said no amount of coercion can dictate Pakistan on how to continue. The spokesman for the military was responding to the US withholding $255 million in aid to Pakistan following Donald Trump’s tweet in which he said the US had foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years.

"No amount of coercion can dictate us how to continue," Asif Ghafoor said, adding, "We wish to move forward through cooperative engagement but we will not compromise on self-respect and dignity."

The army spokesman emphasised that the US had only reimbursed the expenditure which Pakistan had incurred while supporting the coalition forces in Afghanistan. "The Coalition Support Fund, as evident from its name, was received as a reimbursement for operations that were carried out to support the US," he said. He added that the two countries have a bilateral cooperation which includes bilateral finances and a coalition fund for the war in Afghanistan.

"We received an amount of between $15-20 billion in coalition funds for our military expenditure, while the national exchequer incurred $123 billion in losses," said Asif Ghafoor. He stressed that the sole objective of Pakistan's war is to establish regional peace.

Discussing India's new role in the region as part of the new US foreign policy for South Asia, the DG ISPR said that a single country cannot be assigned the role of guaranteeing peace in the region. “There are countries in the region that want to increase the differences between Pakistan and the US,” he said, in an apparent reference to India. “We are a nuclear power; we do not need security guarantees from anyone,” he said. He further stressed that peace with India is not possible till pending issues with the country’s eastern neighbour were resolved. "India has used the Afghan soil to support terrorism in Pakistan and Kulbhushan Jadhav is one such example," he said.

Bureau Report/Agencies