Gen Raheel calls Balochistan ‘hotbed of proxy wars’
Use of force yields nothing but destruction, distress and suffering, says army chief
Gen Raheel addresses a seminar in Quetta. PHOTO: APP
QUETTA:
Balochistan has become a ‘hotbed of proxy wars’, army chief General Raheel Sharif said on Tuesday as he promised a relentless fight to restore peace in the volatile province which has been wrecked by militant, sectarian, ethnic and terrorist violence since 2004.
He said many powers were involved in the proxy wars as part of a ‘regional and global grand strategy’. “This is a battle we all are fighting, and shall continue to fight till peace prevails across the width and breadth of the province,” he added while speaking at a seminar on ‘Peace and Prosperity in Balochistan’ in Quetta.
“Overtime, diverse and divergent interests have led Balochistan to become a most complex problem,” he said. “Its roots range from personal vested interests to international geo-strategic designs, manifested in a plethora of socio-economic, ethnographic and sectarian divides.”
He added that lack of developed infrastructure, extreme poverty, poor educational and health facilities, and rampant unemployment have lent credibility to the complaints of the aggrieved section of society. “These issues are further complicated by foreign interference in the largest province of Pakistan and across a porous border spanning hundreds of kilometres.”
Gen Raheel said Pakistan’s adversaries had been more than eager to exploit any opportunity to destabilise Pakistan by harbouring, training and funding dissidents and militants. “The role of the army is to provide an enabling environment in the province where [Balochistan’s] problems can find their solution at the table of social justice, trust and fraternity.”
He admitted that the use of force yielded nothing but destruction, distress and suffering, often to those who had no part in it. “Involvement of the people and state institutions, therefore, is the correct way forward for prosperity in Balochistan,” he said and appreciated the efforts of all political parties in creating harmony in the province.
“It is heartening to note that successive governments in the Centre and the province have sought to pursue a policy of reconciliation and engagement in Balochistan,” he added. “The measures taken in this regard may not be sufficient for some, but they are steps taken in the right direction.”
The army chief said the military was focusing on an integrated approach for peace in which the federal and provincial governments, state institutions, security apparatus and the people of Balochistan were working towards creating an environment of harmony, progress and prosperity.
Speaking about the youth, he said they were the future of Balochistan. “Our efforts aim at bridging the gap between the state and the youth, including small discontented segments lured by vague slogans and elusive dreams,” he added.
Besides security responsibilities, he said the Pakistan Army was serving the people of Balochistan in a multitude of ways. “Today, the military-run institutions in the province are providing educational facilities to around 25,000 children,” he added. Moreover, the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps are running a huge network of medical facilities across the province.
He recalled the Pakistan Army played its national role in the rehabilitation of Awaran after the devastating earthquake of 2013 that claimed the lives of 800 people and caused colossal damage to property. “More than ever before, today the youth of Balochistan is getting good opportunity to obtain commission in the officers’ cadre of Pakistan Army.”
Gen Raheel said the resilience of the people, its geo-strategic location, and enormous wealth of natural resources, such as Reko Diq, were the true assets of Balochistan, which must be fully optimised for its prosperity.
On the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and development of Gawadar port, the army chief said these projects would transform the province altogether, and for this, the local population must be its greatest beneficiary. “Once the people find their stakes in this progress, the need for check posts and barricades will disappear.”
He said the Pakistan Army was playing a pivotal role in the timely completion of CPEC projects in Balochistan. The unprecedented contributions in communications infrastructure would usher Balochistan into an era of prosperity. Since 2014, 632-kilometre long roads had already been constructed. By the end of this year, a total of 870-kilometre long roads would be completed by the Frontier Works Organisation, he said.
Gen Raheel said terrorists were externally supported and internally facilitated. “They are defiant and cunning. Law enforcement agencies have conducted over 2,400 intelligence-based operations in Balochistan since August 2014, and 204 lives have been sacrificed.
Speaking about the military offensive in tribal regions, he said that operation Zarb-e -Azb enjoyed the support of the people of Pakistan. “Our men are out to eliminate terrorist and militant hideouts and sever their linkages across the country,” he added. “As per aspirations of the people, this operation will be taken to its logical end.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2016.
Balochistan has become a ‘hotbed of proxy wars’, army chief General Raheel Sharif said on Tuesday as he promised a relentless fight to restore peace in the volatile province which has been wrecked by militant, sectarian, ethnic and terrorist violence since 2004.
He said many powers were involved in the proxy wars as part of a ‘regional and global grand strategy’. “This is a battle we all are fighting, and shall continue to fight till peace prevails across the width and breadth of the province,” he added while speaking at a seminar on ‘Peace and Prosperity in Balochistan’ in Quetta.
“Overtime, diverse and divergent interests have led Balochistan to become a most complex problem,” he said. “Its roots range from personal vested interests to international geo-strategic designs, manifested in a plethora of socio-economic, ethnographic and sectarian divides.”
He added that lack of developed infrastructure, extreme poverty, poor educational and health facilities, and rampant unemployment have lent credibility to the complaints of the aggrieved section of society. “These issues are further complicated by foreign interference in the largest province of Pakistan and across a porous border spanning hundreds of kilometres.”
Gen Raheel said Pakistan’s adversaries had been more than eager to exploit any opportunity to destabilise Pakistan by harbouring, training and funding dissidents and militants. “The role of the army is to provide an enabling environment in the province where [Balochistan’s] problems can find their solution at the table of social justice, trust and fraternity.”
He admitted that the use of force yielded nothing but destruction, distress and suffering, often to those who had no part in it. “Involvement of the people and state institutions, therefore, is the correct way forward for prosperity in Balochistan,” he said and appreciated the efforts of all political parties in creating harmony in the province.
“It is heartening to note that successive governments in the Centre and the province have sought to pursue a policy of reconciliation and engagement in Balochistan,” he added. “The measures taken in this regard may not be sufficient for some, but they are steps taken in the right direction.”
The army chief said the military was focusing on an integrated approach for peace in which the federal and provincial governments, state institutions, security apparatus and the people of Balochistan were working towards creating an environment of harmony, progress and prosperity.
Speaking about the youth, he said they were the future of Balochistan. “Our efforts aim at bridging the gap between the state and the youth, including small discontented segments lured by vague slogans and elusive dreams,” he added.
Besides security responsibilities, he said the Pakistan Army was serving the people of Balochistan in a multitude of ways. “Today, the military-run institutions in the province are providing educational facilities to around 25,000 children,” he added. Moreover, the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps are running a huge network of medical facilities across the province.
He recalled the Pakistan Army played its national role in the rehabilitation of Awaran after the devastating earthquake of 2013 that claimed the lives of 800 people and caused colossal damage to property. “More than ever before, today the youth of Balochistan is getting good opportunity to obtain commission in the officers’ cadre of Pakistan Army.”
Gen Raheel said the resilience of the people, its geo-strategic location, and enormous wealth of natural resources, such as Reko Diq, were the true assets of Balochistan, which must be fully optimised for its prosperity.
On the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and development of Gawadar port, the army chief said these projects would transform the province altogether, and for this, the local population must be its greatest beneficiary. “Once the people find their stakes in this progress, the need for check posts and barricades will disappear.”
He said the Pakistan Army was playing a pivotal role in the timely completion of CPEC projects in Balochistan. The unprecedented contributions in communications infrastructure would usher Balochistan into an era of prosperity. Since 2014, 632-kilometre long roads had already been constructed. By the end of this year, a total of 870-kilometre long roads would be completed by the Frontier Works Organisation, he said.
Gen Raheel said terrorists were externally supported and internally facilitated. “They are defiant and cunning. Law enforcement agencies have conducted over 2,400 intelligence-based operations in Balochistan since August 2014, and 204 lives have been sacrificed.
Speaking about the military offensive in tribal regions, he said that operation Zarb-e -Azb enjoyed the support of the people of Pakistan. “Our men are out to eliminate terrorist and militant hideouts and sever their linkages across the country,” he added. “As per aspirations of the people, this operation will be taken to its logical end.”
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2016.