GENERAL Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), has said that the army is fully engaged in enabling national and provincial responses in different domains in step with other institutions of the state for the collective good of the people of Pakistan. Addressing participants of the National Security Workshop-25, who visited the GHQ on Thursday, he said that the defence forces of Pakistan and its security and intelligence setups have fought the menace of terrorism in an exemplary manner despite the sustained and varied support of inimical forces.
There can be no two opinions that the Pakistan Army has been rendering unmatchable services both in war and peace time. It is the only institution the nation looks towards whenever there is a crisis like situation due to internal or external factors and reasons. It is because of the role that the Army plays in national affairs that enemies of the country keep on hatching conspiracies in a bid to undermine its strength and thereby make the country vulnerable to pressures and exploitations. The defence forces successfully and valiantly defended frontiers of the motherland ever since creation of Pakistan despite various odds and resource constraints. There is no denying the fact that the country cannot spare required resources to ward off threats to its security and defence but it is the spirit of the personnel of defence forces as well as the hard work of the country’s premier intelligence agency, the ISI that the enemies could not succeed in their nefarious agendas. Apart from external threats, the country also faced existential threats because of menacing dimensions of the phenomenon of extremism and terrorism which was fanned by external forces. However, credit goes to the defence forces that today the threat has receded to a great extent. The defence forces rendered immense sacrifices in their fight against terror and as a result normalcy prevails in every nook and corner of the country including the regions that were previously considered to be the hotbeds of terrorism. No doubt, the problem is resurfacing because of non-cooperation of Afghanistan where a large number of terrorists have sought refuge in the face of stern and consistent action by Pakistan Army in different areas of the country but this aspect is also being looked after in an exhaustive manner. It is hoped that effective border control and the plan to deport all illegal immigrants after the deadline of October 31 would help improve the overall security environment. Pakistan also faced the daunting challenge of revival of the economy in the backdrop of drying up external aid and here again the Pakistan Army volunteered its services to cope with the situation. With the active support of the Army, a host of measures are being taken to curb activities on the illegal spectrum, including smuggling, power theft, narcotics prevalence, border control measures and repatriation of illegal foreigners from Pakistan. The well-coordinated operation has already started producing the desired results as vigilance against dollar smuggling has strengthened the value of the rupee which is now trading at around 279 after hitting 334 against the US dollar a few weeks back. This is having a salutary effect on the overall price situation as imports are costing less and fuel prices are also coming down with trickle-down effect on all goods and services. The consistent action against power theft and default has improved the viability of discos and availability of electricity for all types of consumers. The success of the campaign can be gauged by the fact that Mardan where power losses were to the tune of 56% have been brought at just 8% in two months, attaining the status of power theft free city. There are still some areas called worst performers on account of power losses in KP, Balochistan, Sindh and South Punjab but it is hoped the operation would be taken to its logical conclusion and as a result woes of the power sector including the mounting circular debt would be addressed. All these achievements owe their existence to the sincerity and commitment of the Army Chief General Asim Munir who is sparing no effort to help tackle core problems of the country. The nation stands fully behind the Pakistan Army’s agenda to help restore writ of the state and rein in various mafias.
