COAS sets out foreign policy redlines

Sends strong message to country’s western and eastern neighbors

ISLAMABAD:

 

In statements defining Islamabad’s foreign policy priorities with its eastern and western neighbors, the country’s army chief, Gen Syed Asim Munir, has ruled out reconciliation with archrival India. He emphasized that the life of a single Pakistani is more important than the entire Afghanistan.

During his almost three-hour marathon session with students from public and private sector universities nationwide on Wednesday, General Munir remarked, "When it comes to the safety and security of every single Pakistani, the whole of Afghanistan can be damned."

According to the chief of army staff (COAS), Pakistan provided food for five million Afghan nationals for 50 years, but “when it comes to our children, we will pursue those who attack them”.

He stated that insurgency in Balochistan has long been supported by Afghanistan, and the western neighbor has never shown friendship towards Pakistan.

Afghanistan was the only country that opposed Pakistan’s admission to the United Nations after independence, he said, adding that the problem is that "our people do not read history."

"Do not look towards Pakistan. We are ready to sacrifice anything and everything," he warned, addressing the rulers of Afghanistan.

General Munir’s statements about Afghanistan are apparently in line with Pakistan’s carrot and stick policy towards the problematic neighbor. Islamabad has refused to negotiate with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), whose terrorist activities in Pakistan have increased manifold since the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in August 2021. It has also applied its economic leverage to force the Afghan government to take action against terrorists attacking on its soil from Afghanistan.

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While commenting on Islamabad’s relations with New Delhi, the army chief said that "India has not reconciled with the concept of Pakistan, then how can we reconcile with it."

General Munir’s statement came two days after India inaugurated Ram Temple on the site of the five-century-old Babri Masjid. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also denounced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to inaugurate the temple months before scheduled elections in India.

The COAS also addressed Pakistan’s relations with Iran, specifically mentioning the recent missile attacks by Tehran within Balochistan. "You cannot backstab us, and if you do, you will get a befitting reply," he said, reiterating that no one would be allowed to breach Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Pakistan fired at targets on Iranian territory, particularly in the border town of Saravan, after Iran targeted militants on Pakistani territory two days earlier.

The chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Defense, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, wrote on Wednesday that Iran’s Panjgur strike was a tactical gamble, which backfired badly.

He stated that the Panjgur attack is followed by the quickest de-escalation and normalization of ties between two countries in history, including the restoration of ambassadorial ties and the impending visit of the Iranian foreign minister next week.

The army chief briefly mentioned his recent visit to the US and stated that during the visit, he conveyed to Americans that Pakistan is a country with consequences.

"There are 80 million middle-income people in Pakistan; with 65% of its population being young, the country is ready to reap benefits from these resources," he said.

"Are the neighbors of Afghanistan, India, and Iran happy? The answer is no," said the army chief while replying to a question on the geopolitical instability surrounding Pakistan.