National response must to beat all threats: COAS

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, while highlighting internal and external challenges, said on Tuesday that the full spectrum threat demands comprehensive national response.”We are a resilient nation that has endured the tests of time on its path to achieving peace and stability,” the army chief said while interacting with the participants of 7th National Workshop on Balochistan here at General Headquarters (GHQ).

The 7th National Workshop on Balochistan was attended by a large number of parliamentarians, bureaucrats, members of civil society, youth, academia and media representatives. The workshop was aimed at enabling future leadership of Balochistan in understanding vital national, provincial issues and mounting cohesive response, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

Speaking at the occasion, the COAS said that Balochistan’s peace and prosperity was the bedrock of Pakistan’s progress.

“It is time to reap dividends of hard-earned peace and expedite socio-economic development, adopting people-centric approach for attaining enduring stability,” he said.

General Bajwa said the security forces would remain steadfast and determined to defeat enemies of peace and prosperity of Balochistan and Pakistan. Highlighting internal and external challenges, the COAS said full spectrum threat demanded comprehensive national response. “Balochistan is in sharp focus of national leadership and army is fully engaged in enabling national and provincial response in synergy with other institutions of state,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of Azerbaijan Ali Alizada paid a farewell call on COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa here at General Headquarters (GHQ).

During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security situation, including Afghan peace process and measures to further enhance bilateral and defence cooperation were discussed, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The COAS thanked the ambassador for his services in Pakistan and acknowledged his contributions towards strengthening Pak-Azerbaijan relations.

The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s role for ensuring peace and stability in the region and also pledged to contribute positively towards Afghan peace.