Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Asim Munir on Thursday condemned the “extremely tragic and totally intolerable” Jaranwala incident in which multiple churches were set on fire and several homes of the Faisalabad district’s Christian community ransacked.
Responding to a question while addressing participants of the annual ISPR Internship Program, he emphasized that there “is no space for such incidents of intolerance and extreme behavior against anyone, particularly against minorities.” According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), he said all citizens of Pakistan, irrespective of religion, gender, cast or creed were equal.
He also emphasized that no one would be allowed to take the law in their own hands and those culpable of committing such crimes would be brought before the court of justice.
The military’s media wing said the Army chief had stressed to the more than 370 students from various universities across Pakistan of the role of the youth in national development. “Youth is future of Pakistan, which can contribute immensely towards peace, progress and prosperity of the country,” he said, while highlighting the efforts of inimical forces toward creating and fomenting fissures, intolerance, mistrust and violent behavior among the people to spread anarchy and unrest in the country.
“It’s imperative for the youth to discern the difference between truth, half-truth, lies, misinformation and disinformation,” he said, and appreciated the young internees for successfully completing the program.