Nation stands behind armed forces to defeat anti-Pakistan elements: PM

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that the whole nation stands behind its armed forces and it will continue to do so in the future to defeat the evil designs of anti-Pakistan forces.

Addressing the passing out parade of cadets at the Pakistan Air Force Asghar Khan Academy in Risalpur, the premier said “this mutual bond of love, devotion and abiding reverence has remained unbroken. I have an unwavering belief that our armed forces will always live up to the expectation of the people in future as well”.

The prime minister congratulated the graduating cadets, their parents, and the faculty on the most memorable moments of their lives.

PM Shehbaz furthered that over the last two decades, the nation had been tested by a combination of challenges such as terrorism, extremism and militancy.

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“The manner in which our armed forces, including the air force, police and intelligence community have risen to the challenges and neutralized the threats to our national security is simply outstanding,” he said.

The premier lauded the PAF leadership to make the force a truly professional, progressive and high-tech organisation.

He also recalled the recent example of the PAF’s true professionalism when it showed a befitting and determined response to the Indian aggression in February 2019.

“The whole world saw how our brave sons humiliated the Indian Air Force and show of exceptional skill and expertise,” he added.

With respect to the economic challenges, the prime minister said that the global economic crisis adversely affected all walks of life in the country. However, he vowed not to let the people at the mercy of the disruptions in the global markets.

“We need to build resilience and protect our economy from global shocks. This is possible if we think long and hard and introduce structural reforms in the economy to make it sustainable,” he said adding that it is for this purpose that he had always been a strong proponent of the Charter of Economy.

“Let me assure that we are making all efforts to bring our economy back on track. Thanks to the tough decisions at the cost of our political assets, we are on the way to overcoming these challenges successfully one day soon,” the PM added.

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The prime minister added that Pakistan was a peace-loving nation and wished to maintain friendly ties with all countries especially neighboring countries, however, he said “our desire for peace must not be misunderstood as weakness”.

He added that there could be no peace in South Asia without a just and fair settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with the United Nations aspiration and the aspiration of the people of Kashmir.

“We condemn the grave human rights violation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and urge the world to take note of the illegal changes by India post August 2019,” he added.

Earlier, the PM reviewed the parade and presented awards to cadets. PAF’s Sherdil Squadron also did an air display on the occasion.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and other civil and military officials were also present on the occasion.