- Adviser says ex-army chief to remove misunderstandings among Muslim countries
In an apparent bid to silence critics, National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua on Monday said that the appointment of former army chief General Raheel Sharif, as head of Saudi-led 43-nation Islamic Military Alliance would help galvanise and harmonise the Muslim Ummah.
He made these remarks while talking to journalists here on the sidelines of a conference held with regard to maritime security. “If he (Raheel) is to lead the (Islamic) military alliance, he will become a reason for the unity of the Muslim Ummah… He (Raheel) would use his experiences and knowledge to remove internal misunderstandings among the Muslim countries,” he said.
Janjua said that the former army chief’s appointment would even benefit the Muslim countries opposing the alliance, including Iran. Gen Raheel is likely to assume the command of the anti-terrorism alliance in April, which is being planned on the model of NATO defence pact. Some analysts are calling the alliance as ‘Muslim NATO’.
The government has already issued a no-objection certificate (NoC) to the former military chief to help him take up the job after an understanding was reached between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the matter. Janjua also warned India against repercussions for opening two fronts against two nuclear powers, Pakistan and China simultaneously, saying it was an unwise strategy that would cost India heavily.
“Pakistan serves as a gateway of the region to help connect other countries with the external world. Theoretically, we have attained the status of a major economic corridor,” he said. He also said that logistics and maritime agreement between India and the United States has set alarm bells for Pakistan as India has been piling up large stockpiles of heavy arms.
Janjua also took a jibe at the Afghanistan government, saying that only a stable Afghanistan could benefit from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said that even Russia and Central Asian states can benefit from the CPEC only if there is lasting peace in Afghanistan. He said nearly 90 per cent of the trade was shifting from the South China Sea to the CPEC.
“We will have to devise our maritime security policy keeping in mind all these dimensions,” he said. He said that Pakistan would close its western [Afghan] front by developing better relations with Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan had been affected by the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan for the past 38 years. Federal Minister for Defense Production Rana Tanveer Hussain said that there was no surprise that competitors were opposed to CPEC, and are already seeking to sabotage it.
Former naval chief Muhammad Sandila raised the issue of problems confronting development of Gwadar. “Until those challenges are addressed, Gwadar is not going to take off. CPEC minus Gwadar would just be an extension of Karakoram Highway.” Former additional defence secretary Mukhtar Jadoon cautioned that the available resources are inadequate to meet the maritime security dictates.