Resolution of Kashmir issue vital for peace in region: COAS Qamar Bajwa

ISLAMABAD (92 News) - Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday has said that the national security dialogue is the need of the hour.

While addressing the Islamabad National Security Dialogue (NSD) ceremony, the army chief said that the world is facing different types of terrorism today and Pakistan is also facing challenges in the current situation. “The role of national security dialogue is not limited to Army nowadays, other stakeholders are in this too,” he added.

COAS Bajwa said despite aggressive neighbour, Pakistan has restrained itself from the arms race in the region. Despite security threats in the region, Islamabad is spending less on defense expenditures, he maintained.

Pakistan is about to defeat terrorism

"After a prolonged war against terror, Pakistan is about to defeat this menace of terrorism," the army chief mentioned. “No single nation in isolation can perceive and further its quest for security,” he remarked, adding that it is because everyday problems are interlinked with regional and global dynamics; be it global security, extremism, human rights, environmental hazards, security issues, or pandemic.

Regional players have realised that stability can only be attained through convergence than divergence. In this environment, developing countries such as Pakistan need a multilateral global approach to solve its challenges.

At least 1/4th population of the world lives in South Asia and having unsettled disputes is taking us back to underdevelopment, he added.

Peace in Afghanistan guarantees peace in region

Commenting on the situation of Afghanistan, the COAS said that Pakistan is playing its due role for enduring peace and stability in Kabul as peace in Afghanistan guarantees peace in the region, he added.

General Bajwa said that Pakistan is playing important role for sustainable peace in the neighboring country Afghanistan.

Calls for a peaceful solution to Kashmir issue

Gen Bajwa said that unresolved issue of occupied Kashmir is the biggest reason behind escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. He called for a peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan. He also said that there is a need to resolve old enmity between the arch-rivals to maintain peace and stability in the region.