COAS rejects private militias’ use of force

'Pak belongs to all without any religious, provincial, tribal, linguistic, ethnic, sectarian or any other distinction'

RAWALPINDI:

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim Munir on Friday said that the use of force and armed action by any militia, entity or group other than the state was unacceptable, the military said in a statement.

The army chief expressed these remarks during an interaction with leading Islamic scholars of all schools of thought at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

“Pakistan belongs to all Pakistanis without any religious, provincial, tribal, linguistic, ethnic, sectarian or any other distinction. Use of force and armed action by any militia, entity or group other than the state is unacceptable”, COAS was quoted as saying by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

COAS General Syed Asim Munir meets Islamic Scholars 🇵🇰

Leading Islamic Scholars of all schools of thought interacted with General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at GHQ.

Ulema and Mashaikh unanimously condemned extremism, terrorism and sectarianism and… pic.twitter.com/saVqY3iZTv

— Pakistan Strategic Forum (@ForumStrategic) November 17, 2023

The Islamic scholars unanimously condemned extremism, terrorism and sectarianism and pledged their continued support for the untiring efforts of state and security forces to bring tolerance, peace and stability to the country.

Read more: COAS calls on youth to stay away from hostile propaganda

They underscored that Islam is a religion of peace and harmony and any skewed and distorted interpretations of religion by certain entities are for their vested interests only and have nothing to do with Islamic teachings.

The army chief lauded the “Paigham-e-Pakistan” fatwa by religious scholars to nullify misleading propaganda disseminated by extremists and terrorists and called upon the scholars for its propagation and implementation in letter and spirit and shun internal schisms.

COAS signified the role of Ulema in harnessing youth towards understanding of Qur’an and Sunnah and character building alongside other academic knowledge and technical skills.

General Munir said that there is no space for intolerance and extreme behaviour by any entity against anyone, particularly against minorities and vulnerable segments of society.

The forum unanimously supported the government’s measures to harden the state including repatriation of illegal foreigners, implementation of one document regime, anti-smuggling and hoarding measures and anti-power theft drive.

Also read: Alvi lauds COAS, caretakers over efforts to bring in foreign investment

It also fully acknowledged Pakistan’s position and concerns on terrorism emanating from Afghan soil and urged serious actions by Afghanistan to address Pakistan’s concerns.

The forum also expressed anguish on the ongoing conflict in Gaza and atrocities being committed against the hapless people of Gaza and termed them as crimes against humanity.