COAS emphasises need for effective civil bureaucracy in Pakistan's development
Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir said on Friday that Islamabad seeks peaceful and cooperative relations with Afghanistan and warned Kabul against permitting Indian-sponsored terrorist proxies to operate from its soil.
'We ask only one thing: do not give space to India's terrorist proxies -- Fitna al-Hind and Fitna al-Khawarij,' he stressed, addressing officers of the 52nd Common Training Program in Islamabad.
He maintained that Afghanistan remains a "brotherly, neighbouring Islamic country" but it must act responsibly and curb the influence of hostile forces operating in its territory.
The COAS highlighted the crucial role of a transparent and efficient civil bureaucracy in national development, stressing that its service-based structure is indispensable in the state system.
He further emphasised the need for institutional cohesion and mutual understanding between civil and military leadership.
The officers, during their training, had been closely associated with Pakistan Army formations in operational areas such as Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
In his address, the COAS discussed national security, internal and external challenges and the vital role of the armed forces in safeguarding regional peace and stability.
He urged the officers to embody the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and patriotism in their duties.
He further highlighted the importance of inter-institutional cooperation and mutual respect in advancing Pakistan's strategic and developmental goals.
The COAS's remarks also underscored the necessity for a capable civil bureaucracy to efficiently manage state affairs and contribute to the country's development.
He further expressed his belief that such collaboration between civilian and military sectors would help strengthen Pakistan's position on the global stage.
The meeting concluded with an interactive question and answer session, reflecting a spirit of shared responsibility and collective commitment to Pakistan's progress.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
22 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
Israel-Iran conflict — how the world will change post-war
Listen to article The Iran-Israel short war of ballistic missile exchanges and air strikes is over. Yet the context under which this short war was fought had a deep effect on how independent states view the existing international environment. The challenge for the great powers, the regional hegemons and the medium and the ordinary powers that rally around them is simple: can this international environment in which international norms and laws are violated be allowed to endure? Does it need restructuring or can it be left unchanged? In the case of former there is all the likelihood of another sovereign state being bullied and attacked by a ruthless power; and in the case of latter the setting of a similar event can be prevented and unjust attacks on sovereign states may be stopped from reoccurring. Contextually, there is a greater realisation in the world that terrorism is being used as a pretext by individual states to further their national interests. Particularly in the case of Israel and India, two states that hold different interpretation on the matter of terrorism from rest of the world. Both states have demonstrated that diplomacy can be set aside, pushed back and unjust military action can be taken to punish states considered weak on flimsy grounds. Two matters of diplomatic significance, both related to India and Israel, suggest that there is hope that 'Islamophobia' that both these states suffer from may no more be the sickness with which the rest of the world may suffer. The American president's interference in the Indo-Pak conflict and his political preference to host Pakistan's military chief in White House is a clear message to India that Washington doesn't agree with the Indian position and its terrorism context that created the circumstances for its unwarranted aggression against Pakistan. The victim scale that had long been tilted in India's favour seems to be settling back in the balance and the US may have set the future global trend of no more viewing Pakistan from the Indian position of blaming Pakistan as a terrorist state. Add to this the recent diplomatic setback that India suffered in the meeting of the Defence Ministers in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), when the Indian defence minister refused to sign a draft of joint statement which omitted a reference to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack in occupied Kashmir. If there was evidence that India could share with the rest of the participating countries, surely the Indian position would have been strong in advocating the inclusion of this terrorist attack in the draft of the joint statement. Pakistan has consistently maintained the absence of such evidence and also maintained a consistent diplomatic posture that encouraged India to hold bilateral dialogue. But India believes more in bullying and subjugating Pakistan rather than treating it as an equal. In case of Israel, no American President has used the language that President Trump used when Israel violated the ceasefire agreement of which he was a guarantor. There is no doubt that President Trump is the most pro-Israel president that America ever had but when it came to the possibility of American interests being hurt, President Trump sounded determined to force Israel to change its behaviour against Iran. Tested and jolted by recent events, the international environment is not likely to remain the same. Wars are being fought in a manner unknown in previous history and how the nation states will change and adjust will determine what kind of international environment will prevail as we approach 2050. The lead up to 2050 and the pathway that leads the world there cannot be discussed without mentioning the role of the other three great powers in determining how the world travels on this pathway. Recent events prove that the US has failed to make the world safe. It has failed to construct the rules-based system in which international laws could be respected and it has also failed to ensure that states cooperate and not engage in conflicts. In case of America, it is sufficient to say that its thesis of end of history has not ended. The coming back of history is the new antithesis and under the return of great power competition this antithesis will be written by China and Russia. How America brought the world to the ending notion of its liberal order of internationalism is a topic that requires detailed answering and needs to be dealt with in a separate space and time. Here I would just like to conclude by giving some of the assumptions on how the world and the international system that runs it may be restructured given the context under which the recent wars have been fought. Dynastic politics will be on the decline and nation states ideas of freedom and liberty will not remain the same. More and more nationalism will hatch as authoritarianism will mate more frequently with ending civil liberties as more and more military preparedness will demand quashing of domestic dissent as national economies will reorganise to equip their militaries to adjust against the shifting military capabilities between the states and to maintain the fracturing balance of power. Military preparedness will trump political mindsets and create military mindsets and eventually more and more military states. Russophobia and China-phobia are considered as the greatest geopolitical threat of 21st Century. These two diseases from which the West suffers will contribute to how these great powers will challenge the international system together with the states that will rally around them. The US will regret mistreating the twenty-six years of unipolarity (1991-2017) by favouring realistic and militaristic foreign policy in promoting the order of liberal internationalism that only backfired. Disastrous foreign policy in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran is what constituted the current international system of chaos and anarchy and which is hardly what the world deserved as America led it as a sole superpower. Nation states will no longer tolerate being at the centre of any American intrigue. Autocracies will demand intellectual climate that should support nationalism as guns will be preferred over butter in a national environment in which military preparedness will be expedited. States either grow or decay but in a reordered world fashioned by the Indian and Israeli military aggression most states will neither grow nor decay, they will spend more time, effort and resources to stay where they are as growth of militarism and not socialism will become the order of the day.
Express Tribune
3 hours ago
- Express Tribune
President, PM condemn North Waziristan attack, vow to defeat terrorism
Listen to article President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday strongly condemned the suicide attack on security forces in North Waziristan, terming it a cowardly act sponsored by external forces aiming to destabilise the country. In their separate statements, the president and the prime minister paid tribute to the 13 soldiers martyred during the operation and praised the security forces for eliminating 14 terrorists in the ensuing exchange of fire while offering prayers for the elevation of the ranks of the martyrs and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families. Both leaders also wished a swift recovery for the three civilians – including two children and a woman – who were injured in the attack. Read More: 13 troops martyred in suicide attack on military convoy in North Waziristan President Zardari said the Pakistani nation and its armed forces were determined to uproot terrorism, particularly the 'Indian-sponsored' networks operating in the region. He stressed that the sacrifices of the martyrs would never be forgotten and that national resilience would prevail over all attempts to destabilise the country. Prime Minister Sharif, in his statement, said the nation saluted the martyred personnel and stood united in its resolve to eliminate terrorism in all its forms. He reiterated that such cowardly acts would not shake Pakistan's commitment to peace and security. The coordinated attack occurred early Saturday morning in Dandi Dir Dawani village of Mir Ali tehsil, where a suicide bomber targeted a military convoy. According to sources, the incident took place at 7:45am during curfew hours imposed due to troop movements. Also Read: CDA to be dissolved, all powers to shift to Metropolitan Corporation: IHC The Inter-Services Public Relations, in a statement, confirmed the loss of 13 servicemen and injuries to three civilians in the suicide attack. The military's media wing said the bomber's vehicle was intercepted by the lead group in the convoy, but the attackers managed to detonate the explosives, resulting in significant casualties. Following the blast, a sanitisation operation was launched in the area. In a separate statement, the ISPR said 14 terrorists were killed in the ensuing exchange of fire. The operation was still ongoing to clear the area of any remaining threats, it added. A relatively lesser-known militant outfit, Aswadul Harb, claimed responsibility for the attack and identified the suicide bomber as a man named Abdullah. The group is reportedly linked to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur network, a faction aligned with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), believed to be operating from safe havens in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province. Read More: What India calls 'terrorism' is a legal struggle for rights: field marshal Army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir paid tribute to the fallen soldiers and vowed to unmask what he called the 'true perpetrator of terrorism in the region.' He praised the courage and professionalism of the troops involved in the operation, stating that the armed forces 'continue to confront and neutralise the Indian-sponsored Fitna al-Khawarij with exemplary valour.' 'The people of Pakistan stand united in their resolve to eradicate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations until the threat is decisively eliminated from the country,' the ISPR quoted the army chief as saying.
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Indian-sponsored suicide attack martyrs 13 soldiers in North Waziristan: ISPR
In a devastating attack described by the military as 'Indian-sponsored terrorism,' a suicide bomber targeted a Pakistani security forces convoy in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, martyring 13 soldiers and injuring three civilians, including two children and a woman. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a strongly worded statement directly blaming India for orchestrating the attack through its alleged proxy, Fitna al Khwarij, labeling it a 'cowardly act' of violence. According to the ISPR, security forces initially intercepted a vehicle-borne suicide bomber attempting to attack the convoy, foiling his plans. However, the assailants then rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into one of the lead military vehicles, causing multiple casualties. The military confirmed that 14 terrorists were later killed in retaliatory operations, with ongoing efforts to eliminate remaining threats in the area. The fallen soldiers included Subedar Zahid Iqbal (age: 45 years, resident of District Karak), Havildar Sohrab Khan (age: 39 years, resident of District Naseerabad), Havildar Mian Yousaf (age: 41 years, resident of District Buner), Naik Khitab Shah (age: 34 years, resident of District Lower Dir), Lance Naik Ismail (age: 32 years, resident of District Naseerabad), Sepoy Rohail (age: 30 years, resident of District Mirpur Khas), Sepoy Muhammad Ramzan (age: 33 years, resident of Dera Ghazi Khan), Sepoy Nawab (age: 30 years, resident of District Quetta), Sepoy Zubair Ahmed (age: 24 years, resident of District Naseerabad), Sepoy Muhammad Sahki (age: 31 years, resident of District Dera Ghazi Khan), Sepoy Hashim Abbasi (age: 20 years, resident of District Abbotabad), Sepoy Muddasir Ejaz (age: 25 years, resident of District Layyah), Sepoy Manzar Ali (age: 23 years, resident of District Mardan). The ISPR emphasized the military's unwavering resolve to eradicate terrorism, stating that such attacks only strengthen Pakistan's commitment to national security.
