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Speaking at the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, General Munir said, “We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle.”
Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir (Image Credit: Videograb)
Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir said Kashmir is Islamabad’s “jugular vein” and will be so and that Pakistan “won’t forget it”. Speaking at the Overseas Pakistanis Convention in Islamabad, Munir quashed the idea that Pakistan won’t get investment due to terrorist activity as he said, “Do you think terrorists can take away the destiny of the country? The 1.3 million-strong Indian Army, with all its wherewithal, if they cannot intimidate us, do you think these terrorists can subdue the armed forces of Pakistan?”
Speaking about Kashmir to a gathering of Pakistanis based abroad, General Munir said, “Our stance is absolutely clear, it was our jugular vein, it will be our jugular vein, we will not forget it. We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle.”
He also vowed decisive crackdown against terrorist groups operating in Balochistan as he declared, “Even ten generations of terrorists cannot harm Balochistan and Pakistan”.
Militant outfits such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), and Baloch Republican Army (BRA) posed no existential threat to Pakistan, he asserted.
Promising swift action against the Balochistani terrorists, he said, “We will beat the hell out of these terrorists very soon. Do Pakistan’s enemies think that a handful of terrorists can decide the fate of Pakistan?”
Read more: ‘We’re Different From Hindus’: Pakistan Army Chief’s Big Remark On 2-Nation Theory’s ‘Foundation’
His remarks came after the Jaffar Express train- travelling from Quetta to Peshawar and carrying 440 passengers- was hijacked by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on March 11. The Balochi insurgents issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Baloch political prisoners to be released or they would execute hostages. The Pakistan Armed Forces launched an operation to raid the hijacked train multiple times, eventually releasing 354 hostages and killing 33 BLA insurgents but the BLA said that they had killed 50 members of the security forces and 214 hostages.
Pakistan Army Chief On Two-Nation Theory
In his speech, the Pakistan Army chief also pushed the two-nation theory as he emphasised that India and Pakistan are two different nations and Pakistanis are different from Hindus in terms of their culture, ideologies, and more.
He said, “Our forefathers thought we are different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life. Our religions are different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different. That was the foundation of the two-nation theory that was laid there. We are two nations, we are not one nation.”
Every Pakistani native should narrate the story of how the nation was born, to their children, and that the “story of Pakistan should never be forgotten”, he said.
“You have to narrate Pakistan’s story to your children so that they don’t forget it when our forefathers thought we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life,” he said.
Pakistan Army Chief’s Appeal To Citizens Of The Country
He also said that as long as the people of Pakistan remained aligned with the military, the nation would be able to overcome any challenge. He said, “Today we are giving this clear message together-that whatever stands in the way of Pakistan’s progress, we will remove that obstacle together. The question is not when Pakistan will get developed, but how fast Pakistan develops.”
- Location :
Islamabad, Pakistan
