Pak-China economic corridor: Army chief vows to defeat enemy’s designs

Says ceasefire violations and bloodletting in Balochistan, Fata and Karachi manifest enemy’s hostile intent.

KARACHI:

Chief of the Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif has said that ceasefire violations and bloodletting in Balochistan, Fata and Karachi manifest our enemy’s hostile intent. Though the army chief didn’t name the enemy, top military commanders have said that India was fuelling terrorism in Pakistan to destabilise the country.

Addressing a commissioning ceremony as the chief guest at the Pakistan Naval Academy at Manora, Gen Raheel said the entire world endorsed the security concerns of Pakistan.

Pakistan is willing to cooperate with other nations for peace, he said, but “not at the expense of national interests, sovereign rights and national pride”. “We are ready to pay any price to protect our nationhood and safeguard our interests, be it Kashmir, development of new ports or exploitation of natural resources.”

Regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Gen Raheel said the trade corridor held enormous potential for transforming lives of the people of the region. “We are acutely aware of our enemy’s campaigns and will defeat its designs against the CPEC.”



He said the trade corridor, with the Gwadar port as its catalyst, would be built and developed as one of the most strategic deep sea ports in the region at any cost.

Returning to the subject of terrorism, the army chief said: “The entire nation has expressed its resolve to eliminate the menace of terrorism. The war against terrorism will not be won by the armed forces alone. It is encouraging to see the entire nation pursuing this national effort with a great sense of purpose.” He said Operation Zarb-e-Azb was delivering decisive results. “Terrorists are now resorting to desperate actions.”

Commissioning ceremony

Congratulating the midshipmen and cadets on achieving this milestone, Gen Raheel advised them to always ensure that the interests of the state and the service were the most important to them. “Never let your personal feelings stand in the way of your commitment to the national duty bestowed upon you.”

Earlier, during his welcome address, the Pakistan Naval Academy commandant highlighted the salient features of the officers’ training.

He said the commissioning term comprised 86 midshipmen, including 48 from Pakistan and 38 from brotherly countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Nigeria. “Forty-three cadets from Short Service Commission (SSC) Officers batch are also being passed out today.” The commandant told the gathering that cadets from Bahrain, Jordan, Libya, the Maldives, Nigeria, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Yemen were also being trained at the academy.

Later, the army chief awarded prizes to the winners. Midshipman Fazal Qadeer was awarded the coveted Sword of Honour for overall best performance, while Midshipman Syed Mubashir Shah won the Academy Dirk. Lieutenant M Bilal Asif, Cadet Arsalan Tariq, MSC Perera (from Sri Lanka) and Cadet Muhammad Shahid (SSC) were awarded the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Medal, the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gold Medal, the Chief of the Naval Staff Gold Medal and the Commandant’s Gold Medal, respectively.

The ceremony was attended by a large number of senior military officers, ambassadors, defence attachés of various countries, civil dignitaries and parents of the midshipmen and cadets.


Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2015.