Drone hit vindicates Pak stand on refugees’ return: COAS

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has maintained that recent US drone attack at an Afghan refugee camp where two Afghans were killed other day has vindicated Pakistan’s position regarding early repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan since Americans have claimed the deceased were terrorists.

In an informal chat with The News/Jang here at the Presidency on Friday evening where he had come to attend the banquet hosted by President Mamnoon Hussain in honour of visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the general said that Pakistan had already told the American’s that it wouldn’t tolerate violation of its sovereignty. General Bajwa was in pleasant disposition and shared the jokes with fellow guests including federal minister Mushahidullah Khan as he was waiting for the two presidents in the banquet hall who were busy in shaking hands with the guests in the other hall.

General Qamar Bajwa said that Pakistan has raised the issue with the United States through the Foreign Office and Washington has been asked to desist from violating Pakistan’s territorial space. He said that the terrorists and wanted persons have mixed up with the Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Pakistan has now and then impressed upon Afghanistan and the US to make arrangements for returning home of the refugees. “Pakistan’s economy has already hugely suffered on account of the presence of millions of Afghan refugees on its soil,” he added. To a query General Bajwa said that winter exercises of the Army have been successfully culminated and it has helped in improving the defence and combat capacity of the Army. The Army Chief who has recently visited the LoC and had meeting with the Jawans and people suffering due to India’s unprovoked shelling, said that escalation of defiance of the ceasefire at LoC by India couldn’t be justified and Pakistan will keep responding such acts.

Meanwhile, Air Chief Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman has said that an air display will be presented to the visiting Indonesian president today (Saturday) as he arrived at Prime Minister House for formal reception and meeting with the prime minister. The sources revealed that Pakistan and Indonesia will also discuss enhancing their cooperation in the field of defence and defence products.