General Kayani's Media Briefing

[air marshal]

Rawalpindi - February 1, 2010: “Pakistan has suffered the maximum in terms of human and economic losses due to terrorism and violent extremism, but it has not dented the resolve of the nation and its armed forces to fight and finish the terrorism in accordance with own national interests.” This was stated by COAS, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, while talking to a group of foreign correspondents on his return from Brussels, where he had gone to attend the conference of NATO commanders on a special invitation.

COAS said that he has conveyed the concerns, challenges, contributions and constraints of Pakistan in its fight against the terrorists. He said that he had high lighted the key issues of the conflict that needed to be fully understood and addressed. He drew the attention of the forum towards the huge sacrifices made by the people of Pakistan and its armed forces, due to the effect of ‘Blow Back’.

While referring to Afghanistan, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said that our objective is to have peaceful, stable and friendly Afghanistan. “We cannot wish for Afghanistan anything that we don’t wish for Pakistan”. He reaffirmed that geography, culture and history can neither be separated nor wished away. He emphasized that our operations in 2009 have helped improving situation in Afghanistan in terms of squeezing of spaces, better control of areas and continuous logistic flow.

COAS identified five fundamentals that helped in turning the tide and must not be lost sight for future operations. These are: public opinion, media support, army’s capability and resolve, ‘our war’ was not ‘US war’ and a comprehensive strategy based on four different phases namely clear, hold, build and transfer. For the way forward, he said that, the fundamentals should remain strong and intact, short and long term interests be reconciled, strategic direction should be maintained and coordination be effect based.

He informed the NATO commanders that our strategic paradigm needs to be fully realized. He said we are the second largest Muslim nation in the World located in a strategic region defined by competing interests and civilizational cross roads, with a prolonged history of conflict. We have 3 million Afghan refugees. At present, our operations are in a transitory phase (from hold to build), we must consolidate our gains and fully stabilize the areas secured, lest it falls back to terrorists. Constraints of capability to absorb and operate, limited cutting edge counter intelligence / counter terrorism capability and limited budgetary space should be factored in.

In his concluding remarks, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said that Pakistan has contributed to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. We have the will and resolve to overcome the menace of terrorism in our country and we have the public support. We have also offered to train ANA and ANP, as we have the capacity and wherewithal to do so. He reiterated that Pakistan should be trusted and enabled.

The briefing was followed by an interactive Q and A session.

http://ispr.gov.pk/front/main.asp?o=t-press_release&latest=1

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Pakistan does not want to control Afghanistan: Kayani​

Monday, 01 Feb, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's army chief said Monday his country had no interest in “controlling” Afghanistan, launching a robust defence of its frequently criticised efforts to combat extremist groups.

In a rare address to foreign media, General Ashfaq Kayani said peace and stability in its western neighbour, where US and Nato forces are battling a Taliban insurgency, were crucial to Pakistan's long-term interests.

“We want Afghanistan to be our strategic depth, it does not imply controlling Afghanistan,” he said.

The term “strategic depth” is often used to describe Pakistan's historic policy of propping up sympathetic governments in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, to counter the perceived threat from its arch-rival India.

“The way we understand it, if Afghanistan is peaceful, stable and friendly, we will have our strategic depth because our western border is secure... no one has been able to control Afghanistan in that sense in its history.”

He said Pakistan had offered to help the United States and Nato train Afghan security forces, a key plank of the US exit strategy after more than eight years of war against the Islamist insurgents in Afghanistan.

“We can't wish for anything for Afghanistan that we don't wish for ourselves,” he said, adding that Pakistan does not want a “Talibanised” Afghanistan, albeit without elaborating further.

Pakistan is under US pressure to do more in combating militants who use its soil to plan attacks in Afghanistan, as well as fight homegrown extremists.

Kayani defended Pakistan's efforts saying 2,273 of its military personnel had been killed in offensives since the nation joined the US “war on terror”after the 2001 attacks on the United States.

“What the world can do to help Pakistan is have a proper understanding of our concerns and issues,” he said, adding that while other nations may only have a short-term interest in Afghanistan, it affected Pakistan's future.

“For me, Afghanistan is my past, my present and my future, it might not be so for others,” he told reporters. -AFP

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