Forces committed to making country's defence impenetrable, says PM Shehbaz

Premier states that Pakistan believes in peace, approach should not be misconstrued as 'weakness'

KARACHI:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday has said that Pakistan believes in peace, however, its forces are committed to making the country's maritime defence impenetrable.

“We believe in peace and coexistence, but this approach must not be construed as weakness”, the premier said while addressing the 25^th Short Service Commission (SSC) of the Navy in Karachi.

PM Shehbaz added that Pakistan was located in a strategically important region and that its navy and other branches of the armed forces were trained to foil nefarious designs of enemies to defend the country.

Appreciating the services of the Pakistan Navy, the prime minister said the Naval Academy was providing training to friendly countries too, enhancing their forces’ capabilities.

He lauded the efforts of the navy for providing security to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and maintained that the government would provide all resources to the navy to strengthen it further.

"We will provide all possible assistance to the forces to promote the maritime sector as a means of economic growth," he said.

The prime minister stated that a capable navy was the need of the hour and Pakistan believed in good relations with its neighbours.

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Referring to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision, Shehbaz said that the Quaid wanted to see Pakistan as a role model in the world and “we will strive to live up to his dream”.

“I hope that we will learn from our past mistakes and achieve our objectives with hard work and dedication.”

PM Shehbaz highlighted that a peaceful environment was the only solution to the development of any county.

He further expressed happiness at seeing women cadets in the passing out parade of the Naval Academy and emphasised the participation of women in every sector.

The premier is on a day-long visit to Karachi.

According to officials, PM Shehbaz would also visit Shaheed Benazirabad to offer condolences to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari on the demise of his mother.

Earlier, PM Shehbaz was received by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah upon his arrival in Karachi.