COAS General Bajwa said: Pakistan does not believe in Camp Politics

 

RAWALPINDI: Army Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Saturday that Pakistan does not believe in camp politics.

A military official made the remarks while addressing a two-day Islamabad Security Dialogue 2022.

COAS to end the war between Russia and Ukraine

Expressing his views on the Ukraine crisis, General Bajwa Pakistan is deeply concerned about the Ukraine conflict as both countries enjoy the best security and economic relations since independence.

“When we were in Russia, Pakistan had a long cold relationship for several reasons; however, recently there has been some positive progress in this regard, ”he said.

"Sadly, the Russian invasion is very unfortunate as thousands of people have been killed, millions displaced and half of Ukraine destroyed," he said, stressing the need to address the issue "urgently."

"Pakistan '

"Continuing or escalating conflicts in Ukraine will not help either side at least in all developing countries who will continue to face the economic and social costs of this conflict - a conflict that could easily get out of hand," COAS said.

The military chief said he believed that the world today at the peak of civilization and science was made up of ideologists who believed in cooperation, respect and equality instead of division, warmth and domination.

"Pakistan today has a unique position where it has excellent historical ties with both camps," he said.

"The conflict has given hope to small countries that they can defend their territory with a small but flexible force from being invaded by a large country by making modern technology developments," he concluded.

Pakistan hosted the second edition of the Islamabad Security Dialogue on April 1 and 2, bringing together Pakistani and international policy experts to discuss emerging international security challenges under the theme “Complete Security: Rethinking International Cooperation” .

Afghanistan crisis

"The conflict that has plagued our neighboring country for decades has created negative external effects and devastating consequences that have had a devastating effect on our economy, society and security," he said, adding that this was why Pakistan wanted to work closely with international community to pursue peace. and stability in Afghanistan.

Elaborating on these challenges, COAS General Bajwa said: "Unfortunately, the lack of funding and ongoing sanctions is creating a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan."

He noted that Pakistan has worked hard to assist the people of Afghanistan in partnership with the international community “but more is still needed.

“It is the responsibility of all of us about the people of Afghanistan to ensure timely and adequate access to humanitarian assistance; however, the world, especially the west, is preoccupied with the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, ”he said, stressing that we must not forget the 40 million Afghans at this time.

"The inability to address the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan will not only lead to refugee crisis but also make Afghanistan a hotbed of terrorism with Daesh - an international organization - flourishing which could result in more than 9/11," he said. .

"For better or worse, it is important for the international community to keep the Afghan government above water."

Commenting on the performance of the Afghan interim government, he said: “The performance of the current Afghan government is unsatisfactory, to say the least, but we must be patient and patient.

"Instead of imposing sanctions, which have never worked, we must encourage the Afghan people through their good work and moral change," emphasizing that non-alignment with Afghanistan "is not an option."

"We urge the international community to share their concerns directly with the Afghan interim government and continue its communication to ensure the uninterrupted flow of aid to the Afghan people," he stressed.

He pointed out that Pakistan has already hosted more than four million Afghan and unregistered Afghan refugees.

'Pakistan believes in dialogue to solve problems'

Calling the situation on the East Border and the Control Line (LOC) “satisfactory and peaceful”, he said sympathetically, no incident near the LoC last year had brought relief to people living on both sides. sides.

However, he said the shooting incident in Pakistan from India on March 9, 2022, was Islamabad's "most troubling issue."

Unlike other incidents involving strategic weapons, it is the first time in history that a supersonic cruise missile from one nuclear-armed nation has reached another; "This raises serious concerns about India's ability to manage and deploy advanced weapons systems."

"India's reckless attitude of not telling Pakistan immediately about the unarmed launch of weapons," he said, hoping the international community would realize that the incident could have led to the loss of lives in Pakistan or accidental shootings. a passenger plane flying in the direction of a cruise missile.

He further added that Pakistan has requested a thorough investigation into the incident and "expects India to provide evidence to ensure that Pakistan and the rest of the world have their weapons safe and secure."

"For our part, as in early 2019, when Pakistan demonstrates its role as a responsible member of the international community in repatriating a hostage fighter pilot, we have once again demonstrated maturity and commitment in our response," he said.

Emphasizing the state of affairs, he said: "Pakistan continues to believe in using dialogue and communication to resolve all remaining issues including the Kashmir conflict and is ready to move forward with this if India agrees to do so with a third of the world. The Gulf region far from our region. "

In this regard, he added that in addition to the Kashmir dispute, the Indo-China border dispute is also a major concern for Pakistan and "we want it resolved as soon as possible through negotiations and negotiations."

"I believe it is time for the regional political leadership to overcome their emotional and ideological bias and break the chains of history to bring peace and prosperity to the nearly three billion people of this region," he said, highlighting the strong conduct of Indian leaders.

He also stressed that Pakistan wants to strengthen its relations with the US; however, not at the risk of its bilateral relations.

The military official said Pakistan does not believe in the politics of the camp and that its bilateral relations with its allies do not affect international relations.

He also said that Islamabad enjoys closer relations with Beijing which is reflected in the country's commitment to China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Meanwhile, he added that Pakistan shares equally “a long history of excellent relations and strategies” with the United States, which remains our largest export market.

"We want to expand and deepen our relations with both countries without compromising our relations with others," he said.

Acknowledging the efforts of the National Security Division to organize a second security dialogue, COAS General Bajwa said: “I believe that today more than ever we need to focus on and promote such areas of intellectual dialogue and discourses where people from all over the world come together to share. their vision for the future of their country and the world. ”

He argued that spaces like these are more important when adults can see the need for international cooperation rather than conflict.

Regarding unprecedented challenges around the world, he said the resurgence of inter-regional conflicts between shared global challenges of poverty, climate change, terrorism, internet access and lack of resources raises serious questions in the international system.

“The integrated security of the international community lies in our ability to integrate our shared global prosperity goals into an equitable international system that resists external pressures.

"Pakistan, as a country at a crossroads of economic and strategic issues, is facing the challenges that are shared in our immediate region and our cooperation with the international community," he said.

National Security Policy

The military chief added that Pakistan's first National Security Policy puts the safety, security, dignity and prosperity of its citizens at the heart of our security policy.

"This [National Security Policy] recognizes the relationship between economic, human and traditional security, puts economic security at the forefront," he said.

General Bajwa further stated that the main purpose of this policy is to achieve the prosperity of the people of Pakistan and to focus on ensuring local economic stability and enhanced growth through development partnerships with the international community under our geo-economic strategy.

COAS has revealed that to achieve this peace at home and abroad, Pakistani security forces have made many sacrifices to defeat terrorism. He pointed out that since 2001 Pakistan has faced more than 90,000 problems and economic losses of more than R150 billion.

"Our commitment to defeat terrorism remains unshakable," he stressed, adding that with the help of security and law enforcement agencies, the country has made incredible gains against terrorism which has resulted in significant improvements in the country's internal security situation.

COAS General Bajwa, however, added that the threat of terrorism and violent extremism still exists and that the struggle will continue until we "eradicate the last terrorism and the root cause of terrorism in our region."

He said: "We are committed to preserving our anti-terrorism gains and working with the Afghan interim government and other neighbors to ensure that terrorist organizations are no longer allowed to use the territory of one region against another."

Peaceful South Asia Our mission: COAS

"A peaceful and prosperous West and South Asia is our goal," he said, adding that Pakistan's National Security Policy focused on promoting national security and harmony through the principles of unity and diversity.

“We are focused on eradicating intolerance and extremism by celebrating the diversity of our country. I see it as a great challenge but we are determined and will not give up until we have made Pakistan a more equitable and prosperous country as seen by our founder Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, ”he said.

Recognizing the fact that they are regions and not developing countries, COAS said: "We believe that peace and stability in our wider region are prerequisites for achieving shared prosperity and regional development."

"In this case, our doors are open to all our neighbors," he said.