Last Hope
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2010
- Messages
- 7,275
- Reaction score
- 2
- Country
- Location
Army asks govt to spend military aid on people
RAWALPINDI: Declaring that economic rather than military aid was essential for Pakistan, Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has said in line with the position taken in the Pak-US Strategic Dialogue in March 2010, it is being recommended to the government that US funds meant for military assistance be diverted towards economic aid to help reduce the burden on the common man.
General Kayani was addressing the participants of the Corps Commanders Conference held here at the General Headquarters on Thursday.
Reaffirming the Army leaderships resolve to continue supporting the democratic system without giving preference to any particular political party, he called for the nation to unite, adding that efforts to create divisions between important institutions of the country were not in the national interest.
The participants agreed that all of us should take cognisance of this unfortunate trend and put an end to it,î said a comprehensive and detailed account of the conference issued by the ISPR.
The ISPR statement touches upon multiple subjects from politics to the Army leaderships resolve to fight terrorism, relations with the United States and rare comments on the tirade against the Army and its leadership by some politicians, whose names were not mentioned in the press release. Pakistans internal situation is the most important factor and it cannot be relegated in priority, said the ISPR statement.
Uncertainty gripped Pakistanis following the May 2 US Navy Sealsí attack on an Abbottabbad compound where Osama Bin Laden was killed. The participants voiced their concern on the blowback of the Abbottabad incident, which has resulted in the upsurge in terrorism and consequent losses of innocent lives, said the military announcement.
The participants, including corps commanders and principal staff officers (PSOs), reviewed the internal security situation and concluded that All law enforcement agencies, though trying their best to cope with the situation, need to be more focused and proactive and Army will be there to extend all possible support.
The military top brass noted with regret that despite briefing the joint session of parliament and deferring the ultimate findings to the commission appointed by the government, some quarters, because of their perceptual biases, were trying to deliberately run down the armed forces, particularly the Army. This is an effort to drive a wedge between the Army and other organs of the state and more seriously between the people of Pakistan, whose support the Army has always considered vital for its operations against the terrorists.
The forum was informed by the COAS that military-to-military relationship with the US had to be viewed within the larger ambit of bilateral relations between the two countries and must be assessed afresh in the backdrop of the May 2 incident as well as the dictates of the Joint Parliamentary Resolution passed on May 14, 2011. In this regard, aspirations of the people of Pakistan also needed to be taken into account.
In line with the demands of these important factors, the Army has drastically cut down the strength of US troops stationed in Pakistan. The statement said it needs to be clarified that the Army had never accepted any training assistance from the US except for training for the newly-inducted weapons and some training assistance for the Frontier Corps. Even that has ceased now, the statement read.
Paying tributes to the resilience and sacrifices of the valiant people of Pakistan, the participants assured the nation that the Army will do its utmost and continue to give sacrifices for the security and well being of the people.
The participants were also informed about the extent of intelligence cooperation with the US. It has been decided to share intelligence strictly on the basis of reciprocity and complete transparency. It has been clearly put across to US intelligence officials that no intelligence agency can be allowed to carry out independent operations on Pakistani soil. News about military operations in the NWA also came under discussion. The COAS informed the participants that the Army was following a well-thought-out campaign plan and was under no pressure to carry out operations at a particular time. Future operations, as and when undertaken, will be with political consensus. He, however, called upon the brave people of the NWA to evict all foreigners from their soil and take charge of their land and destiny once again. He emphasised that it was wrong, in principle, to allow others to use Pakistanís land for fighting their foreign battles. This must not be allowed.
The COAS said the Army in the NWA was committed to supporting the people of the NWA in this effort. As far as drone attacks are concerned, the Army has repeatedly conveyed to all concerned that these are not acceptable under any circumstances. There is no room for ambiguity in this regard. The government is making necessary efforts in this direction.
The COAS also informed the forum that the often-quoted figure of $13-15 billion utilised by the Army in the last 10 years was misplaced. Under the head of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), against a total sum of $13 billion expected from the US, the Government of Pakistan had received only $8.6 billion. The government has made available only $1.4 billion to the Army over the last 10 years. A relatively smaller amount has gone to Navy and PAF. The rest, approximately $6 billion, have been utilised by the Government of Pakistan for budgetary support, which ultimately means for the people of Pakistan (the figures quoted here have been reconciled with the Ministry of Finance).
The participants of the conference appreciated the sacrifices rendered by the troops for the security of the country and said they are putting their life at stake for the noble cause of defending their motherland.
The participants paid special tributes to the martyrs, their families and children and reiterated their resolve to complete their mission and secure the future of Pakistan, which undoubtedly lies in an Islamic Republic with a tolerant society in the true spirit of Islam with no room for terrorism.
Pakistans internal situation is the most important factor and it cannot be relegated in priority, the participants affirmed. The Armyís leadership reaffirmed its resolve to continue supporting the democratic system without any preference to any particular political party. It is also determined to lead the fight on terror in partnership with other law enforcement agencies and in line with the Constitution.
The participants were given a comprehensive briefing with special reference to internal security, terrorism, role of the media, the society, and all organs of the state to comprehensively address the ongoing challenges that the country faces, and military-to-military relationship with the US. The COAS also apprised the forum about his interaction with various foreign visitors, military as well as civilian, who have met him after the Abbottabad incident. The announcement made no mention of the possibility of the US venture to capture Pakistans nuclear facilities, as alleged by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a few days ago.
End.
