ISLAMABAD - Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif yesterday made it clear that any aggression will not go unpunished and will be met with the most befitting response.
"Any aggression, born out of deliberate intent or even a strategic miscalculation, will not be allowed to go unpunished and will be met with the most befitting response," he said while addressing the passing-out parade of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) cadets at Risalpur.
The army chief urged the international community to condemn Indian insinuations and fabrications about a nation that had made unparalleled contributions in the global fight against terrorism.
“We have recently witnessed an unfortunate display of utter desperation playing out inside Occupied Kashmir and along the Line of Control through a litany of falsehoods and distortion of facts by India,” he said.
According to PAF spokesperson, the army chief said, "We will be highly relentless in defending our motherland against entire spectrum of threat," he said.
The COAS said, “While Pakistan wants good relations with all its neighbours, no one should make any mistake about our collective resolve to defend our motherland.”
Expressing full confidence, he said with the united national resolve and its armed forces, those inimical to regional peace will not be allowed to succeed. "Their evil plots and plans will be defeated, Inshallah."
Pakistan is a responsible country and remains committed to follow the policy of friendship with all other countries based on the principles of equality and mutual respect, the COAS said, and added while doing so, the armed forces of Pakistan remain fully prepared to give the most befitting response to any kind of internal and external threat posed to the nation.
Towards the internal front, he said, Operation Zarb-e-Azb, with full support from Pakistan Air Force, has successfully turned the tide against terrorism. "Its role has been crucial in achieving our objectives to root out the menace of terrorism."
He said the exemplary synergy and cooperation between the services, leading the armed forces to stability in a short time, is unique in this type of warfare. "It is a value which we must all cherish, and carry forward, with even deeper commitment in the future."
"Today we have achieved phenomenal success in uprooting the terrorists’ infrastructure from our soil. For sustainable peace, we are now engaged in eliminating the residual threat in the form of facilitators and their sympathizers through intelligence-based and combing operations all over the country,” he added.
The enemies of Pakistan's peace and prosperity have been distressed by the sight of the successes, he said and added these enemies will now attempt to accelerate their efforts to reverse the gains and derail the progress through direct and indirect strategy.
"Their nefarious designs will not be allowed to succeed at any cost. Resolute efforts to consolidate our gains is the only way forward for which we will not leave any stone unturned."
The COAS termed it a great honour for him to review the passing-out parade of combined courses of College of Flying Training and Aeronautical Engineering.
Felicitating the graduating cadets, he said, "Grant of commission from this renowned institution is a singular honour, and you have indeed proved worthy of achieving this distinguished milestone.”
"PAF rightly takes pride in its unmatched mix of high-end technology with quality human resource and continuous force up-gradation for ensuring its fighting potential. It is indeed, satisfying that PAF is vigorously pursuing the force goals to retain its cutting edge."
Referring to the ongoing Exercise High Mark by PAF, the COAS said, “It is a vivid demonstration of PAF's preparedness for war and its capability to optimise the available resources through imaginative planning and effective execution.”
COAS WITNESSES PAK-RUSSIA EXERCISE
APP adds: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif visited field area near Attock and witnessed the ongoing Pakistan-Russia joint exercise “DRUZBAH”, which commenced on September 27th.
COAS met participating troops and appreciated their professionalism, skills and dedication, an ISPR Press release issued here on Thursday said.
Paying tributes to both Armies, he said that Pakistan Army troops are most battle hardened and experienced and reckoned as one of the best in the world as are the Russian troops rated best amongst contemporary Armies.
He said that such joint military exercises will provide an excellent opportunity to participating troops to learn from each other’s experience in counter-terrorism.
