Pakistan confronting hybrid conflict: Gen Bajwa

RAWALPINDI: Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday said the Pakistani nation was confronting a hybrid conflict where focus was shifting to subversion on religious, sectarian, ethnic and social issues needing a comprehensive national response.

“We are now confronting a hybrid conflict where focus is shifting to subversion on religious, sectarian, ethnic and social issues which needs a comprehensive national response,” he said in an interaction with the participants of a National Security Workshop who visited the General Headquarters (GHQ).

After a briefing on the security situation of Pakistan and the challenges and response, the participants had an interactive session with General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The army chief said Pakistan had been subjected to various threats, especially during the last two decades but Pakistani nation and its armed forces had bravely and successfully stood up to these challenges and was on a positive trajectory to defeat it effectively.

“We now have a greater responsibility to ensure that our people, especially youth, stay aware and steadfast against propaganda onslaught being launched through a soft offensive. It is our time to rise and progress and we must grasp the opportunity achieved after countless sacrifices," he said.

The National Security Workshop is an annual event at the National Defence University (NDU), which is participated by representatives from all segments of society, including armed forces, parliamentarians, bureaucracy and others.