RAWALPINDI – Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir has expressed his resolve to stand against the attempts of creating a chaos in the country.
Army chief was addressing Ulema and Mashaikh Conference in Islamabad where Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also present.
“If anyone attempts to create chaos in Pakistan, we will stand against them,” he vowed.
COAS said the greatest sin is “fasad-fil-arz” (mischief on earth), adding that Pakistan Army is striving to curb this menace.
“Those who do not follow Sharia and the constitution, we do not consider them Pakistanis,” Army chief stated.
Gen Munir highlighted that Pakistan hosted millions of Afghans for over 40 years. “We advise them not to oppose their neighbour, a brotherly Islamic country, and a long-standing friend for the sake of the Khawarij.”
“In the war against terrorism, our Pashtun brothers and the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rendered great sacrifices, and we stand with them.”
He said if people are needed to hold protest, they should be peaceful.
While talking about extremism, he said: “Allah’s command is that there is no compulsion in religion”.
Army chief said criminals and smuggling mafias are backing terrorism, adding that social media is being used to spread chaos in the country.
He urged people to look at the situation in Iraq, Syria and Libya, if they want to understand the importance of the state.
He requested scholars and religious leaders to promote patience and unity instead of extremism or division. The Army Chief stated that scholars should bring moderation back into society and negate “fasad fil-arz.”
“Western civilization and lifestyle are not our ideals and we should take pride in our own civilization,” he said.
Those who said they had sunk the two-nation theory in the Bay of Bengal, where are they now? he questioned.
“Kashmir is an unfinished agenda of the partition of the subcontinent,” he said.
The army chief also expressed sadness over the atrocities being faced by people in Palestine and Gaza.
