Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Friday said that complete independence was not possible without first achieving economic stability.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief made the remarks while addressing the Green Pakistan Initiative Conference. The remarks were also carried by state-run APP and Radio Pakistan.

The federal government’s Green Pakistan Initiative is aimed at introducing the latest farming on 4.4 million acres of land across the country. The government is eyeing to fetch around $40 billion during the next five years through the agricultural initiative and hopes to create four million jobs through this process.

The initiative seeks to revolutionise agriculture with the help of the armed forces and the promised partnerships of friendly countries. It was inaugurated at the National Seminar on Food Security and Agriculture in July last year and Gen Munir had assured the military’s full support of the initiative.

In his address, the army chief also said: “We are all a united team. God willing, with the cooperation and support of the people, the efforts of those who distract and obstruct Pakistan’s development journey will fail.”

He said “negative propaganda and social media trolls” would not be able to distract from working towards the nation’s prosperity and development.

“In today’s era, complete independence is not possible without economic stability,” he said. “No instability will be tolerated in Pakistan’s journey towards prosperity and development,” he added.

He called on everyone to collectively reject “negative forces” and remain focused on the country’s path towards progress and stability.

A statement from the ISPR said Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain and other civil and military officials.

The ISPR said participants were briefed about the multi-faceted initiatives and significant benchmarks achieved in a short span of time.

The initiatives presented before the forum included the establishment of model farms, water management schemes, technology innovations and investment partnerships aimed at ensuring food security and enhancing agricultural productivity.

The federal ministers “lauded the transformative initiative” and underscored that agriculture was the lifeline of Pakistan, the ISPR said, adding that they expressed hope that the initiative would introduce contemporary best practices in the agriculture sector.

“Pakistan is a blessed land with an industrious and resilient nation which needs to come together for national development,” the army chief was quoted as saying by the ISPR.

He assured that the military would continue to provide “all possible support” for the country’s economic development and underscored that the army’s efforts would contribute towards “comprehensive national security and collective good of the nation”.

In December, the army chief had assured farmers that the country wanted to focus on “agriculture first” to regain the lost glory of the Green Revolution, which once saw Pakistan being counted among Asia’s fastest growing economies.

Talking about the Green Pakistan Initiative, COAS Munir had said that a major chunk of its revenue would go to the provinces, while the rest would be allocated for farmers and agricultural research.

Vowing to suppress all kinds of mafias, with the nation’s help, the army chief had revealed plans to make ‘agricultural malls’ in all districts, where various facilities would be available for farmers.