RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the civil and military institutions in Pakistan are working together for the good of the country, as he dismissed any suggestions of a rift. He also revealed that had he not become a cricketer, he would have been a soldier.
“There is no such thing as a civil-military tug of war,” he said during his speech at the main ceremony for the country’s 53rd Defense and Martyrs Day. “Our goals are the same: that is to make Pakistan one of the greatest countries of the world.”
The ceremony was held at the army’s general headquarters in Rawalpindi on September 6. In addition to Khan and Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, the guests included senior military and civilian officials, including opposition-party leaders Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, of the Pakistan Peoples Party, and Shehbaz Sharif, of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
During his speech Khan also recalled that when he was just 12 years old, in 1965, he picked up his father’s gun because he wanted to join his relatives in the fight against the Indian forces that were feared to have invaded Pakistan on September 7. Khan added that had he not become a cricketer, he would now be a retired soldier.
Earlier, in a message to the nation, Khan said that Pakistan believes in peaceful coexistence and seeks friendly relations with all its neighbors. He added that while the Defense Day has become a potent symbol of national unity and solidarity, this year is different.
“This year is quite unique because the armed forces of Pakistan have stood out in [terms of] achievements in the war against terrorism,” he said.
Defense and Martyrs Day began with special prayers at mosques across the country. In addition to the main ceremony, a number of events paying tribute to Pakistan’s armed forces and those killed in action took place, and pictures of soldiers who lost their lives in battle were on display in public places. Preparations had been underway for several weeks, with the army and air force releasing videos to highlight their future plans and honor military personnel.
Defense Day commemorates the date when Indian armed forces crossed the international border to attack Pakistan in 1965. Martyr’s Day was introduced in 2014.
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Imran Khan: Had I not become a cricketer, I would have been a soldier
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Imran Khan: Had I not become a cricketer, I would have been a soldier
- Khan recalled that at age 12, he wanted to join his relatives in the fight against the Indian forces that were feared to have invaded Pakistan
- The prime minister addressed the Defense and Martyrs Day ceremony at the army GHQ
Indigenous protesters occupy Cargill port terminal in Brazil
- The South American nation is the world’s top exporter of soy and maize
- The US-based multinational is a major shipper of soy and corn in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: Indigenous protesters in Brazil occupied a shipping terminal operated by US agricultural giant Cargill on Saturday, demanding a ban on dredging Amazon waterways.
The South American nation is the world’s top exporter of soy and maize, and ongoing efforts to upgrade river ports aim to ease transportation.
Demonstrators had been gathering outside the terminal in Santarem, in northern Brazil’s Para state, for a month before taking over company offices this weekend.
In a statement to AFP the company said operations were suspended, blaming an “ongoing dispute between government authorities and Indigenous communities.”
Protesters are calling for the repeal of an order signed by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in August that designated Amazonian rivers as priority areas for shipping and port development.
The Indigenous protesters are against an expansion of the ports and the dredging of the Amazon’s rivers, which they consider vital to their way of life.
Alessandra Korap, a community leader from the Munduruku Indigenous group, said protesters “will only leave if Lula and the government overturn and revoke the decree.”
Activists protested in front of Cargill’s offices in Sao Paulo on Friday.
“When they start dredging the river and causing pollution, the river will cease to be a common good for all humanity and will become the property of a single individual,” demonstrator Thiago Guarani said.
Two weeks ago the government announced the suspension of dredging in the Tapajos River, a key Amazon River tributary, after Indigenous-led protests.
Cargill called on the government and demonstrators to engage in a “constructive dialogue.”
The US-based multinational is a major shipper of soy and corn in Brazil.
The South American nation is the world’s top exporter of soy and maize, and ongoing efforts to upgrade river ports aim to ease transportation.
Demonstrators had been gathering outside the terminal in Santarem, in northern Brazil’s Para state, for a month before taking over company offices this weekend.
In a statement to AFP the company said operations were suspended, blaming an “ongoing dispute between government authorities and Indigenous communities.”
Protesters are calling for the repeal of an order signed by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in August that designated Amazonian rivers as priority areas for shipping and port development.
The Indigenous protesters are against an expansion of the ports and the dredging of the Amazon’s rivers, which they consider vital to their way of life.
Alessandra Korap, a community leader from the Munduruku Indigenous group, said protesters “will only leave if Lula and the government overturn and revoke the decree.”
Activists protested in front of Cargill’s offices in Sao Paulo on Friday.
“When they start dredging the river and causing pollution, the river will cease to be a common good for all humanity and will become the property of a single individual,” demonstrator Thiago Guarani said.
Two weeks ago the government announced the suspension of dredging in the Tapajos River, a key Amazon River tributary, after Indigenous-led protests.
Cargill called on the government and demonstrators to engage in a “constructive dialogue.”
The US-based multinational is a major shipper of soy and corn in Brazil.
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