Pakistan wants peace with neighbours but won't shy away if…: Army chief General Asim Munir

Pakistan's Army chief, General Asim Munir, asserted that the country's armed forces are fully capable of defending the nation and its efforts for peace should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness.

 Speaking at the passing out parade of cadets at Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul, in the Abbottabad district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Munir emphasized that Pakistan wants peace in the region and with its neighbors but warned that “our efforts for peace should never be taken as a sign of weakness.”

“Pakistan have the will, capability and capacity to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we are well aware of the ways and means to do it," the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) said.

He added that the Armed Forces would never shy away from any sacrifice to stabilise, secure and safeguard the future of the next generations.

"I assure the people of Pakistan that we will never hesitate in rendering any and every sacrifice necessary for the defence of our sacred motherland,” Munir said.

Munir also addressed claims made by senior journalist Hamid Mir (Geo TV) that former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had stated that "the Pakistan Army was not capable of combat" during a meeting with 20-25 journalists in 2021. 

Munir made a veiled reference to the numerical equation with India and quoted from the Quran that numbers were not enough for victory. 

He added that "brave soldiers of the Armed Forces of Pakistan don’t get fascinated with the numbers or resources of their adversaries."

He said that significant efforts were being made by “our adversaries to affect state and societal cohesion through multiple efforts”, Munir said that there was no space for spoilers to harm the hard-earned peace.

"People are central to the unity of the state and our future, as well as progress, depends on internal cohesion, democracy and constitutionalism," he was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper.

"First and foremost is loyalty to the State of Pakistan and commitment to the constitutional role assigned to the Armed Forces of Pakistan,” he said.

 Regarding Kashmir, he reaffirmed Pakistan's unwavering support for the people of Kashmir and urged the international community to realize that without a just and peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue, regional peace will forever remain elusive.

(With inputs from agencies)