Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Saturday called on the Afghan Taliban regime to take firm and immediate action against terrorist proxies using their soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
Addressing a passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul in Abbottabad, he called on the people of Afghanistan to choose “mutual peace and security over violence.”
Pakistan and Afghanistan currently have a “temporary” truce after days of fighting that left dozens dead and hundreds wounded, primarily in Afghanistan. In a television appearance, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said he did not expect the truce to last, alleging that the Taliban regime was acting at the behest of India.
During his address, Field Marshal Munir also highlighted the armed forces’ role in defending the country’s internal and external frontiers. He said the armed forces, with the full support of the nation, have demonstrated unwavering resolve, conviction, and professionalism in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty. Referring to the conflict between Pakistan and India in May, he said the country had emerged victorious against the “treacherous” enemy, strengthening public confidence in the competence and capabilities of the armed forces.
Noting the armed forces had neutralized all threats with remarkable professionalism, he said they had demonstrated a readiness and “will to defend the nation by downing advanced aircraft like Rafales, targeting multiple bases such as S-400, and showcasing multi-domain warfare capabilities.”
He also criticized India’s eagerness to adjudge culpability, evade neutral investigations, and stage self-created evidence as evidence of the politicization of terrorism for the vested interests of its rulers. “[The country] gained deep respect and admiration from the people of Pakistan and the international community because of the legitimacy and clear victory against a numerically superior adversary,” he said. “Internally, it has further unified the nation and strengthened its resolve to defend against any threat, whether external or internal. It has reinforced the confidence, particularly among the youth, that the armed forces of Pakistan are an essential element of national power and are trusted with the responsibility to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state,” he added.
“Let me assure the nation that with the help and mercy of Allah, the Almighty, and with the support of the people, we will not lose an inch of the sacred land, and from here on you all shall be contributing to the same cause,” he vowed.
Saluting the people of Pakistan, its soldiers, sailors, airmen, and the brave men, women, children and elderly who had laid their lives during the conflict, he warned that there is no space for war in a nuclear environment. He stressed that Pakistan’s battle-hardened Army would respond well beyond expectations of any initiators in the face of any hostility.
“Should a fresh wave of hostilities be triggered, Pakistan would respond much beyond the expectations of the initiators. With diminishing distinction between combat and communication zones, the reach and lethality of our weapon systems will shatter the misconceived immunity of India’s geographic vastness,” he said. “I advise and firmly caution the Indian military leadership that there is no space for war in a nuclearized environment,” he stressed.
“With Allah’s blessings and binding national resolve, people of all hues and colors, age, gender, ethnicity or creed stood firm and tough like a wall of steel,” he said, noting this had unleashed a renewed spirit of patriotism and national fervor nationwide.
The Army chief vowed that law enforcement agencies, with the help of the people of Pakistan, particularly those of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, would surely defeat the menace of terrorism backed by India. “Like our victory in the conventional domain, every state proxy of our neighbor will be razed to dust, InshaAllah. Like we stood firm against a much larger adversary, we shall never bow against a handful of misguided terrorists having a purported interpretation of Islam,” he said.
Field Marshal Munir also spoke on Pakistan’s economy, hailing the government’s “relentless efforts” for stability. The improvement in economic indicators, he said, was attracting investments from across the world. “The treasures hidden beneath our land for decades have started to surface as a silver lining for our bright future. Our vibrant youth, filled with talent, is making marvels in a multitude of domains,” he said, while cautioning against the “populist anarchism and social subversion” on social media.
“Unfortunately, in the post-truth era in which we live, perceptions bear more weight than reality and half-truths spread faster than facts. Your strength will lie in thinking critically and discerning fact from fiction,” he said, urging youth to not become “tools of disinformation.”
On India-occupied Kashmir, he said India’s “oppression and widespread atrocities” in the valley would come to an end. He reaffirmed that Pakistan’s diplomatic and moral support for the Kashmiris’ freedom struggle would continue until the dispute was resolved in accordance with U.N. resolutions.
He said Pakistan had emerged as a net regional stabilizer and was seeing its ties with key global and regional powers, particularly Muslim countries, further strengthen. Hailing Pakistan’s historic “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership“ with China, he said the renewal of ties with the United States was also an “encouraging and welcome” development.”
He lauded U.S. President Donald Trump, saying his “personal efforts and strategic leadership to bring peace to multiple conflict-prone areas of the world are really praiseworthy.” On Palestine, he slammed Israel for its “blatant aggression, genocide and forced displacement waged upon Palestinians.”
Highlighting Pakistan’s “significant” role in the diplomatic efforts to secure peace in Gaza, the field marshal said Pakistan expects the ceasefire to continue, followed by a smooth flow of humanitarian relief and the reconstruction of Gaza. “Pakistan stands by its principled stance of indispensability of the two-state solution and the need for an independent, sovereign and viable State of Palestine based on pre-1967 war borders, with Al Quds Sharif as its capital,” he added.