Use of force by any militia, group other than state unacceptable: COAS

Published November 17, 2023
Islamic scholars attend meeting with COAS Munir at GHQ on November 17. — Photo courtesy ISPR
Islamic scholars attend meeting with COAS Munir at GHQ on November 17. — Photo courtesy ISPR

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Friday termed the use of force or armed action by any militia, entity or group other than the state “unacceptable”.

According to a handout issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief made the remarks while interacting with Islamic scholars at General Headquarters Rawalpindi.

“Pakistan belongs to all Pakistanis without any religious, provincial, tribal, linguistic, ethnic, sectarian or any other distinction. Use of force and armed action by any militia, entity or group other than state is unacceptable,” the statement quoted the army chief as saying.

COAS Munir also lauded the ‘Paigham-i-Pakistan’ fatwa for nullifying “misleading propaganda disseminated by extremists and terrorists” and called on ulema to propagate and implement it in letter and spirit.

He acknowledged the role played by ulema in “harnessing youth towards understanding Quran, Sunnah, and character building alongside other academic knowledge and technical skills”.

“There is no space for intolerance and extreme behavior by any entity against anyone, particularly against minorities and vulnerable segments of the society,” COAS Munir said.

Meanwhile, the religious scholars unanimously condemned extremism, terrorism, and sectarianism and pledged their support for the “untiring efforts of state and security forces to bring tolerance, peace, and stability to the country,” the ISPR said.

They underscored that Islam was a religion of peace and harmony and any skewed and distorted interpretations of religion by certain entities was only for their vested interests and had nothing to do with Islamic teachings, the statement said.

It added that the forum also “unanimously supported the government’s measures to harden the state, including repatriation of illegal foreigners, implementation of a one-document regime, anti-smuggling and hoarding measures, and anti-power theft drive”.

“It also fully acknowledged Pakistan’s position and concerns on terrorism emanating from Afghan soil and urged serious actions by Afghanistan to address Pakistan’s concerns,” the ISPR said.

The statement concluded that the forum expressed anguish over Israeli bombardment in Gaza and termed them “crimes against humanity”.

Opinion

Editorial

Chilas bus attack
Updated 05 Dec, 2023

Chilas bus attack

Locals, particularly in Diamer and Kohistan, need to be on board to ensure that militants have no place to hide.
State’s insecurities
05 Dec, 2023

State’s insecurities

ONE hopes that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor’s recent remarks regarding the ‘less-than-ideal’ security...
Underage driving
05 Dec, 2023

Underage driving

SIX lives — all members of a single family — were recently lost in Lahore to the unabated menace of underage...
Electable politics
Updated 04 Dec, 2023

Electable politics

With the PTI still on the wrong side of the political equation, the prospects will be bright for whoever takes the lead.
War of narratives
04 Dec, 2023

War of narratives

MILITARILY, there is no match between the Israeli war machine, and the defenceless people of Gaza. On one side is a...
Returns on deposits
04 Dec, 2023

Returns on deposits

DESPITE the deceleration of deposit mobilisation, bank deposits have jumped to a record high of Rs25.6tr in FY23. ...