ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir has said the army’s first and foremost loyalty is to the state of Pakistan and commitment to the role that has been assigned to it under the Constitution.

He also stressed the need to identify the exposed and hidden enemies who were hell-bent upon driving a wedge between the people and the armed forces.

He was addressing the passing-out parade of cadets of 147th PMA long, 13th Mujahid, 66th integrated, 6th basic military training and 21st lady cadet courses at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), Kakul, on Saturday.

Cadets from Palestine, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar and Sri Lanka were among the graduating class.

Army chief stresses need to identify hidden enemies, says Pakistan’s security linked with peace in Afghanistan

Speaking as chief guest at the event, Gen Munir said stability, security and peace in Afghanistan was fundamental to Pakistan’s security.

He said peace in Afghanistan is linked with the security of Pakistan, reaffirmed support for the self-determination of Kashmiri people and warned the spoilers against sabotaging the hard-earned peace.

He said Pakistan would continue to provide political, moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiri brothers, adding that Pakistan firmly stood with Kashmiris in their historic struggle for basic human rights and legitimate quest for the right to self-determination.

The international community must realise that without a just and peaceful resolution to the Kashmir issue, regional peace would forever remain elusive, he added.

He said army’s foremost loyalty is to Pakistan and the commitment to the role assigned to it by the Constitution. “To us, nothing is more sacred than the safety and security of our people and no duty is more binding than the defence of our motherland. Go out now, and deliver to the expectations of your nation,” he asked the cadets.

“The army imbibes… the vision of our great Quaid signifying no distinction of caste, colour, creed, gender or geography…our efforts for peace should never be taken as a sign of weakness,” he emphasised.

The army chief said armed forces had the will, capability and capacity to protect Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and “we are well aware of the ways and means to do it”.

He assured the people of Pakistan that army would never hesitate in rendering any sacrifice necessary for the defence of the motherland.

The COAS referred the Quranic verse of Surah-i-Baqarah, translation of which is: “How many times it happened that a smaller force vanquished a bigger force by the will of Allah.”

He revealed that significant effort is being made by Pakistan’s adversaries to affect the state and societal cohesion through multiple efforts.

He, however, warned that there is absolutely no space for spoilers of hard-earned peace and the armed forces of Pakistan would never shy away from any sacrifice to stabilise, secure and safeguard the future of next generations.

Gen Munir reviewed the parade and gave awards to distinguished cadets.

The coveted Sword of Honour was awarded to Academy Senior Under Officer Abdullah Bin Tariq and President’s Gold medal to Battalion Senior Under Officer Ali Amir of 147th PMA long course.

The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Overseas Gold Medal was awarded to Battalion Sports Sergeant Pasindu Dayananda from Sri Lanka.

The COAS cane was awarded to Course Under Officer Muhammad Adnan Munawar of 13th Muja­hid course.

The Commandant’s canes were awarded to Course Under Officer Adil Ali of 66th integrated course, Course Sergeant Major Fatima Khalid of 21st lady cadet course and Course Under Officer Salman Khan of 6th basic military training course.

Earlier on arrival, the COAS was received by the PMA commandant.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2023