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CPEC a vital national interest, no comprise on it: COAS
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KARACHI : Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Wednesday that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was future of Pakistani people and there would never be any compromise over it.
“This (CPEC) is the future of our people, a vital national interest on which we will never compromise, regardless of the loudness of opposing voices,” he said while addressing a seminar on ‘Interplay of Economy and Security’ here.
The seminar was organized by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in collaboration with Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The Army Chief said that CPEC was not just a collection of infrastructure and power projects but in fact a complete development platform that had the potential to act as a powerful springboard for shared development in the entire CASA (Central Asia-South Asia) region. “It is also an example of regional cooperation and a break from politics of confrontation – we want all to benefit from this project.”
However, he said the completion of the project and, more importantly, optimization of its socio-economic dividend for Pakistan and the region hinged on one word: “security”. “Our region in general and the immediate neighbourhood in particular has failed to take off due to peculiar security challenges. I sincerely believe that the region will sink or sail together – that is how it has played out across the world. “I want to use this opportunity to earnestly convey to our neighbours to the East and to the West that our destinies are inextricably linked,” he added.
He said until the current environment of mutual distrust was eliminated, it could not be possibly imagined for the nations of the region to rise together into enduring peace and socio-economic development. “
General Bajwa said that Pakistan was capable of creating sufficient fiscal space to address underlying structural problems through tax reforms, documenting economy, diversifying the export base, and encouraging savings to finance a level of investment that could sustain growth rate higher than the rise of population.
But this is not all, we have to rise together. We have to ensure that Balochistan, Interior Sindh, FATA, Southern Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan also join us on the trajectory of growth and then move forward. It is with this integrated approach, that we will fulfill the vision of Quaid, he added.
He said the vision of integrated economic growth across Pakistan and across the region was noble, but it also needed to be secured. “In today’s world, security does not come cheap. It is dependent upon economic prowess. It is here that our entrepreneurs must contribute by producing and exporting more. We have done our part on the security front, now its up to you (entrepreneurs) to take initiative and turn the economy around.”
The task at hand, he said was difficult, but Pakistani nation had done it before. “In the ’60s, we were among the economic leaders in Asia. The seventies brought trouble that tested the very fibre of our nationhood. We have fought hard to stay afloat ever since. We are just finding our feet with improved security. We need to start afresh on the economic front as well,” he said.
“If any nation can survive what we went through, it can also make its mark when the going is relatively easier.” Underlining the need to improve country’s economy, the Army chief said that it (economy) touched almost all aspects of human life adding that it would not be wrong to say that economy was reflection of quality of our life.
“It reflects the wealth of a nation, but in doing so, it also indicates the nation’s health, including the strength of its institutions and the trust of its people,” he remarked. He said in today’s world security and economy were interlinked. “Erstwhile USSR had no dearth of armoured divisions but it broke up due to weak economic base.”
Similarly, rich countries without corresponding security apparatus, he said might invite aggression from others. “All nations today are reviewing the old dilemma of “Guns versus Butter”, that is; how to achieve a balance between economic viability and national security.
“Countries like Pakistan never had the luxury of such a review. We live in one of the most volatile regions of the world, dealing with multiple crises since inception, but increasingly so during the last four decades. Therefore, we must be able to evolve on the way. We have to continuously ensure a viable balance between economy and security. Only then will we arrive at a future that ensures sustained peace and happiness for our people,” he added.
The Chief of Army Staff said national security was a wide ranging subject and across the world it was the product of an interplay of factors that encompassed political, economic, military, social, human and environmental facets. He said today Pakistan had a much improved security situation on the internal front.
“The challenges to the state’s writ have been defeated, though residual threat still resides. The situation is stable but there is apparent fragility at places. Therefore, we need a comprehensive effort to pursue National Action Plan and remove vulnerabilities well before they turn into threats.
“Many of the planned measures, if implemented timely, will contribute directly to the economic and even political stability of the country. Police and judicial reforms are obvious examples. Madrassah reforms are also vital – we cannot afford to leave a large segment of our youth with limited options. Madrassahs (religious seminaries) must enable their students to become useful members of the society, who are not left behind in any field of life,” he said.
He said the external front continued to remain in a flux. Pakistan had a belligerent India on its east and an unstable Afghanistan on its west. The region remained captive due to historical baggage and negative competition. “But on our part, we are making a deliberate and concerted effort to pacify the western border through a multitude of diplomatic, military and economic initiative, not to mention the phenomenal boost to human security that we have provided in FATA and surrounding areas,” he added.
He said what Pakistan had done in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and started in Balochistan could easily be termed the best example of a holistic approach to security. “We have also expressed and demonstrated our genuine desire to have normal and peaceful relations with India, however, it takes two to tango.”
General Bajwa pointed out that due to dedication and sustained hard work of Army and other law enforcement agencies, the improvement in security environment had started to pay off. “We have had megaevents in the country in the fields of sports and culture this year. Recently, we not only had the most peaceful Muharram in years but the Bohra community validated our claim of improved security by selecting Pakistan for their annual gathering. Similarly, early harvest projects, both CPEC and non-CPEC, are nearing completion; with Pakistan Army providing security to our Chinese friends,” he added.
The Army Chief said despite all that there was still a long way to go. The country’s economy was showing mixed indicators, the growth had picked up, but the debts were sky high. Infrastructure and energy had improved considerably, but the current account balance was not in Pakistan’s favour. “Our tax to GDP ratio is abysmally low and this needs to change if we are to break the begging bowl. At the same time, the common man across Pakistan needs reassurance of benevolent and equal treatment from the state in return,” he added.
He said it was high time for Pakistan to place economic growth and sustainability at the highest priority. “In order to secure future, we must be ready to take difficult decisions. We have to increase our tax base, bring in fiscal discipline and ensure continuity of economic policies.”
At the micro level, he said nothing exemplified the linkage between economy and security better than the city of Karachi itself. “Karachi, the economic capital of Pakistan, generates a significant part of our revenue. When our enemies want to choke Pakistan, they try to destabilize Karachi because when Karachi bleeds, Pakistan bleeds.
“It is because of this sensitivity, that peace in Karachi has been our top priority. We have worked very hard to restore peace and now hope that economic activity would return at a fast pace.” He assured that Karachi would remain safe and sound now. “However, in order to maintain sustainable growth and progress, we must ensure law and order in the entire country,” he said.
The Army Chief said at the macro level, the relationship between security and economy was intricate, and, therefore, solutions were more complex. Today, Pakistan was a strategically challenged state and external actors were attempting to assert control and dictate its (Pakistan’s) security priorities that have strong linkages its economic future. The centrepiece of that effort was CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor), he added.
Originally published by NNI
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Challenges to state’s writ defeated: COAS
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KARACHI : Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Wednesday that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was future of Pakistani people and there would never be any compromise over it.
“This (CPEC) is the future of our people, a vital national interest on which we will never compromise, regardless of the loudness of opposing voices,” he said while addressing a seminar on ‘Interplay of Economy and Security’ here.
The seminar was organized by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in collaboration with Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The Army Chief said that CPEC was not just a collection of infrastructure and power projects but in fact a complete development platform that had the potential to act as a powerful springboard for shared development in the entire CASA (Central Asia-South Asia) region. “It is also an example of regional cooperation and a break from politics of confrontation – we want all to benefit from this project.”
However, he said the completion of the project and, more importantly, optimization of its socio-economic dividend for Pakistan and the region hinged on one word: “security”. “Our region in general and the immediate neighbourhood in particular has failed to take off due to peculiar security challenges. I sincerely believe that the region will sink or sail together – that is how it has played out across the world. “I want to use this opportunity to earnestly convey to our neighbours to the East and to the West that our destinies are inextricably linked,” he added.
He said until the current environment of mutual distrust was eliminated, it could not be possibly imagined for the nations of the region to rise together into enduring peace and socio-economic development. “
General Bajwa said that Pakistan was capable of creating sufficient fiscal space to address underlying structural problems through tax reforms, documenting economy, diversifying the export base, and encouraging savings to finance a level of investment that could sustain growth rate higher than the rise of population.
But this is not all, we have to rise together. We have to ensure that Balochistan, Interior Sindh, FATA, Southern Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan also join us on the trajectory of growth and then move forward. It is with this integrated approach, that we will fulfill the vision of Quaid, he added.
He said the vision of integrated economic growth across Pakistan and across the region was noble, but it also needed to be secured. “In today’s world, security does not come cheap. It is dependent upon economic prowess. It is here that our entrepreneurs must contribute by producing and exporting more. We have done our part on the security front, now its up to you (entrepreneurs) to take initiative and turn the economy around.”
The task at hand, he said was difficult, but Pakistani nation had done it before. “In the ’60s, we were among the economic leaders in Asia. The seventies brought trouble that tested the very fibre of our nationhood. We have fought hard to stay afloat ever since. We are just finding our feet with improved security. We need to start afresh on the economic front as well,” he said.
“If any nation can survive what we went through, it can also make its mark when the going is relatively easier.” Underlining the need to improve country’s economy, the Army chief said that it (economy) touched almost all aspects of human life adding that it would not be wrong to say that economy was reflection of quality of our life.
“It reflects the wealth of a nation, but in doing so, it also indicates the nation’s health, including the strength of its institutions and the trust of its people,” he remarked. He said in today’s world security and economy were interlinked. “Erstwhile USSR had no dearth of armoured divisions but it broke up due to weak economic base.”
Similarly, rich countries without corresponding security apparatus, he said might invite aggression from others. “All nations today are reviewing the old dilemma of “Guns versus Butter”, that is; how to achieve a balance between economic viability and national security.
“Countries like Pakistan never had the luxury of such a review. We live in one of the most volatile regions of the world, dealing with multiple crises since inception, but increasingly so during the last four decades. Therefore, we must be able to evolve on the way. We have to continuously ensure a viable balance between economy and security. Only then will we arrive at a future that ensures sustained peace and happiness for our people,” he added.
The Chief of Army Staff said national security was a wide ranging subject and across the world it was the product of an interplay of factors that encompassed political, economic, military, social, human and environmental facets. He said today Pakistan had a much improved security situation on the internal front.
“The challenges to the state’s writ have been defeated, though residual threat still resides. The situation is stable but there is apparent fragility at places. Therefore, we need a comprehensive effort to pursue National Action Plan and remove vulnerabilities well before they turn into threats.
“Many of the planned measures, if implemented timely, will contribute directly to the economic and even political stability of the country. Police and judicial reforms are obvious examples. Madrassah reforms are also vital – we cannot afford to leave a large segment of our youth with limited options. Madrassahs (religious seminaries) must enable their students to become useful members of the society, who are not left behind in any field of life,” he said.
He said the external front continued to remain in a flux. Pakistan had a belligerent India on its east and an unstable Afghanistan on its west. The region remained captive due to historical baggage and negative competition. “But on our part, we are making a deliberate and concerted effort to pacify the western border through a multitude of diplomatic, military and economic initiative, not to mention the phenomenal boost to human security that we have provided in FATA and surrounding areas,” he added.
He said what Pakistan had done in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and started in Balochistan could easily be termed the best example of a holistic approach to security. “We have also expressed and demonstrated our genuine desire to have normal and peaceful relations with India, however, it takes two to tango.”
General Bajwa pointed out that due to dedication and sustained hard work of Army and other law enforcement agencies, the improvement in security environment had started to pay off. “We have had megaevents in the country in the fields of sports and culture this year. Recently, we not only had the most peaceful Muharram in years but the Bohra community validated our claim of improved security by selecting Pakistan for their annual gathering. Similarly, early harvest projects, both CPEC and non-CPEC, are nearing completion; with Pakistan Army providing security to our Chinese friends,” he added.
The Army Chief said despite all that there was still a long way to go. The country’s economy was showing mixed indicators, the growth had picked up, but the debts were sky high. Infrastructure and energy had improved considerably, but the current account balance was not in Pakistan’s favour. “Our tax to GDP ratio is abysmally low and this needs to change if we are to break the begging bowl. At the same time, the common man across Pakistan needs reassurance of benevolent and equal treatment from the state in return,” he added.
He said it was high time for Pakistan to place economic growth and sustainability at the highest priority. “In order to secure future, we must be ready to take difficult decisions. We have to increase our tax base, bring in fiscal discipline and ensure continuity of economic policies.”
At the micro level, he said nothing exemplified the linkage between economy and security better than the city of Karachi itself. “Karachi, the economic capital of Pakistan, generates a significant part of our revenue. When our enemies want to choke Pakistan, they try to destabilize Karachi because when Karachi bleeds, Pakistan bleeds.
“It is because of this sensitivity, that peace in Karachi has been our top priority. We have worked very hard to restore peace and now hope that economic activity would return at a fast pace.” He assured that Karachi would remain safe and sound now. “However, in order to maintain sustainable growth and progress, we must ensure law and order in the entire country,” he said.
The Army Chief said at the macro level, the relationship between security and economy was intricate, and, therefore, solutions were more complex. Today, Pakistan was a strategically challenged state and external actors were attempting to assert control and dictate its (Pakistan’s) security priorities that have strong linkages its economic future. The centrepiece of that effort was CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor), he added.
Originally published by NNI
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Challenges to state’s writ defeated: COAS
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