ISLAMABAD - Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday said that all necessary measures to ensure public safety are being taken and the troops on ground must reach out to citizens in every nook and corner of the country for bringing comfort in this hour of distress.
General Qamar Javed Bajwa attended the special briefing at National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi; Asad Umar, Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives and focal person for National effort for COVID-19; Brig Ijaz Ahmed Shah (Retired), Minister for Interior; Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Minister for Economic Affairs; Murad Saeed, Minister for Communications & Postal Services; Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Minister Aviation; Khusro Bakhtiar, Minister for National Food Security and Research; Ali Zaidi, Minister Maritime Affairs; Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, SAPM on Finance & Revenue; Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, SAPM for Information and Broadcasting; Dr Zafar Mirza, SAPM on Health; Moeed Yousaf, SAPM on National Security and Ms Sania Nishtar, SAPM on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety; federal ministers and senior military officials attended the briefing.
According to the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) directorate, the forum was briefed about latest situation on containment efforts and enforcement measures against COVID-19 and troops deployment across the country assisting federal and provincial administrations in aid of civil power.
The COAS said that all necessary measures to ensure public safety are being taken. “We cannot afford to leave any segment of the society at the mercy of this pandemic. Troops on ground must reach out to citizens in every nook & corner of Pakistan not only to protect them against this pandemic but also for bringing comfort in this hour of distress,” ISPR quoted the COAS as saying during the meeting.
The Pak Army chief also said that only through a coherent national effort, the nation can address all vulnerabilities before they turn into threats. The planned measures, if implemented timely will contribute to safety and well-being of every Pakistani and society at large, the COAS reiterated. “We must rise and rise together irrespective of caste, colour, creed and religion fighting as One Nation. The task at hand is daunting, but we have overcome difficult situations before,” the Army Chief said, and added that this time the challenge is entirely different and the Armed Forces will stand shoulder to shoulder with nation to guard the border between people and COVID-19. “Pakistan Army being part of national effort will not leave any stone unturned for security and safety of people of Pakistan”, the COAS concluded.
The press release issued by the ISPR said the forum expressed complete satisfaction over the measures taken thus far and also dilated upon future course of action. The NCOC is serving as a nucleus for one-window operation to synergize and articulate national effort against COVID-19, optimise informed decision-making and ensure implementation of decisions of National Security Committee (NSC) and National Coordination Committee (NCC). Commander Army Air Defence Command, Lieutenant General Hamood Uz Zaman Khan has been designated as chief coordinator NCOC.
