–Army chief says ‘State shall not allow certain elements to act in name of religion, ethnicity or any other pretext to pull Pakistan back into confrontation’
MULTAN: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday said that certain elements are again trying to draw the country into a confrontation but the State shall not let such elements act “whether in the name of religion, ethnicity or any other pretext”.
The army chief’s statement came during a visit to the II Strike Corps, an offensive formation of the Pakistan Army based in southern Punjab.
The remarks come as two separate attacks occurred in the country on Friday.
At least 31 people were killed and another 40 injured in a blast in Lower Orakzai region of Hangu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) while an attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi killed two policemen and two civilians. All three terrorists involved in the Karachi attack were killed by security forces.
“War against terrorism and militancy is not over yet,” Gen Bajwa said while addressing the troops, adding that the State needs to address root causes while staying cognisant of “inimical forces and foreign agendas”.
The army chief that peace, stability and progress of the country is contingent upon the rule of law by all.
Referring to the war on terror, the army chief explained that the phase of kinetic operations has ended and now the focus has shifted to stability operations.
The army chief added that the Pakistan Army shall support socio-economic development, enabling the people to reap dividends of the improving security situation.
On the occasion, the COAS also witnessed training demonstration on combat readiness by an armour formation of the strike corps and underscored that an army deters war through “professional competence and readiness”.
