ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir described loyalty to the state and its constitution as fundamental responsibilities of the country’s armed forces on Saturday while addressing young officers at the graduation ceremony of the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul.
The army chief’s statement comes at a time of great political turbulence in the country which followed the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan’s administration from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote last year in April.
The military, which has ruled the country on several occasions in the past, has vowed to remain “neutral” amid the growing instability, though it continues to face allegations of political engineering by various stakeholders.
“First and the foremost is loyalty to the State of Pakistan and commitment to the Constitutional role assigned to Armed Forces of Pakistan,” General Munir told the PMA graduation ceremony. “To us, nothing is more sacred than the safety and security of our people and no duty is more binding than the defense of our motherland. Go out now, and deliver to the expectations of your nation.”
He said the Pakistan Army followed the vision of the founder of the state, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and made no distinction on the bases of “caste, color, creed, gender or geography.”
The army chief maintained no one should doubt the willingness and the ability of Pakistani armed forces to protect the state and its people from their enemies.
“We have the will, capability and capacity to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity and we are well aware of the ways and means to do it,” he added. “I assure the people of Pakistan that we will never hesitate in rendering any and every sacrifice necessary for the defense of our sacred motherland.”
General Munir said Pakistani soldiers never felt threatened by the superior numbers or resources of their adversaries while quoting a Qur’anic verse that said smaller forces had vanquished bigger ones a number of times.
He also maintained Pakistan’s enemies had been making efforts to affect social cohesion in the country and drive a wedge between the people and the armed forces.
“We will ensure that the bond between Armed Forces and People of Pakistan is preserved and further solidified,” the army chief added.
He mentioned Afghanistan in the speech while discussing the regional situation, saying peace and security in the neighboring state was fundamental to Pakistan’s own well-being.
He also maintained that Pakistan would continue “to provide political, moral and diplomatic support to our Kashmiri brothers,” adding the international community should realize the importance of a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute to the overall peace in the region.