ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that we are ready to improve our environment by resolving all our outstanding issues with our neighbors through dialogue in a dignified and peaceful manner.
In his address on Thursday at the two-day Islamabad Security Dialogue held in the Federal Capital under the theme “Together for Ideas”, the COAS said that we have learned from the past to evolve and are willing to move ahead towards a new future.
However, all this is contingent upon reciprocity, he said.
The Army Chief said that South Asia is home to one-quarter of the world’s population and despite tremendous human resource and potential, the unsettled disputes are dragging this region back to swamps of poverty and underdevelopment.
“It is saddening to know that even today, South Asia is among the least integrated regions in terms of trade, infrastructure, water, and energy cooperation,” he said.
General Qamar Javed Bajwa said that no single nation in isolation can proceed and further request for security as every single issue and security dilemma faced by today’s world is intimately linked with global and regional dynamics.
“Developing Countries liked Pakistan today face multidimensional challenges which cannot be navigated singlehandedly,” he noted. “A nation at peace and a region in harmony are thus, an existential prerequisite for the attainment of national security in the true spirit”.
The COAS said that today the leading drivers of change in the world are demography, economy, and technology. However, he added that one issue which remains central to this concept is economic security and cooperation.
General Bajwa said that it is important for us to embark on a solid economic roadmap backed up by infrastructural development and regional integration. He said that our choices with respect to the same have been clear and explicit.
“It is important for the world that leading global players must reach a stable equilibrium in their relations through convergence instead of divergence,” he said.
The Army Chief highlighted that history has taught us that the way ahead has always been through an interconnected, interdependent, and collective sense of security.
“National security in the age of globalization, information, and connectivity has now become an all-encompassing notion,” General Bajwa said.
In addition, he was of the view that it is naïve to apply the failed solutions of yesteryears to the challenges of today and tomorrow.
General Qamar Javed Bajwa shared that after having overpowered the menace of terrorism and extremism, we have begun to work towards sustainable development and improving the economic condition of underdeveloped areas.
“Our robust role in our current quest for peace in Afghanistan is proof of our goodwill and understanding of our moral and global obligations,” the COAS said.
The Army Chief said that the Pakistan army has contributed tremendously to the national cause by rebuilding and mainstreaming some of the most neglected areas through massive development drive besides ensuring peace & security.
