ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa highlighted Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace and stability while participating in the Munich Security Council on Saturday.
General Bajwa pointed out that his country had launched several security operations against terrorist networks operating in the region, adding that there were no organized militant training camps or sanctuaries in Pakistan anymore.
The army chief said that his country has done everything to ensure proper management of its western border and was unilaterally building a fence and hundreds of surveillance forts for that purpose.
He added that these steps were taken not only to curb militant movement, but also to facilitate Afghan nationals who visit his country for legitimate reasons.
General Bajwa also noted that there were several ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan that were exploited by militant factions in that country.
He maintained that there were nearly 2.7 million Afghan refugees in his country and their settlements were routinely used by the Haqqani network and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to recruit, morph and melt.
The army chief noted that Pakistan was fully committed to the international consensus that political reconciliation was the only solution to the Afghan issue.
“While we are actively supporting the new US strategy in the region, primarily based on a kinetic approach, we are not leaving any stone unturned to try and do our best in bringing the parties of the conflict on the negotiation table,” he added.
No terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan, Gen Bajwa assures international conference
No terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan, Gen Bajwa assures international conference
Türkiye hands over MILGEM corvette warship to Pakistan amid deepening defense ties
- Türkiye delivered the first of its four MILGEM corvettes, PNS Babur, to Pakistan in 2023
- Pakistan, Turkiye friendship to endure “until the end of time,” says President Erdoğan
ISLAMABAD: Türkiye handed over its second MILGEM corvette warship named “PNS Khaibar” to Pakistan this week, the Turkish embassy in Islamabad said in a statement, as both countries enhance their bilateral defense ties.
Pakistan signed a contract in July 2018 to buy four corvettes for its navy with the Turkish state-owned defense firm ASFAT. The MILGEM project is a Turkish warship program that aims to develop multipurpose corvettes and frigates that can be deployed in a range of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, early warning, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare, and amphibious operations.
The first of the four MILGEM corvettes, PNS Babur, was delivered in 2023.
“At a ship delivery ceremony held at the İstanbul Naval Shipyard Command, the MILGEM corvette PNS Khaibar was officially handed over to Pakistan marking yet another milestone in bilateral defense cooperation,” the Turkish embassy said in a press release on Saturday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted the close relations between the two countries in a speech at the handing over ceremony.
“The Türkiye–Pakistan friendship, rooted deep in our shared history and tested over centuries, will— Allah willing— endure until the end of time, flourish, and grow ever stronger,” the embassy quoted Erdoğan as saying.
The development takes place as Türkiye and Pakistan move to strengthen their defense relations. Islamabad and Ankara have warmed up to each other after Türkiye’s public condemnation of Indian cross-border strikes in Pakistan earlier this year that sparked a brief military conflict between both sides.
In July, Türkiye’s foreign and defense ministers also arrived in Pakistan for a series of high-level meetings focusing on counterterrorism, defense cooperation and broader strategic ties.
