Falling of Indian missile on Pakistani territory matter of concern: COAS

Islamabad: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that the falling of Indian missile on the Pakistani territory was a matter of concern for them.

Addressing Islamabad Security Dialogue on Saturday, General Bajwa maintained that New Delhi did not inform Pakistan that it was going to fire the missile. “Islamabad also had demanded investigation into Indian missile firing. New Delhi must brief Islamabad and the world about the safety of its weapons,” he added.

 He said Pakistan does not believe in camp politics and seeks to expand and broaden its ties with both China and the United States. Pakistan enjoys close and strategic cooperation with China demonstrated by our commitment to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor project. He said Pakistan equally shares a long history of excellent and strategic relationship with the US which remains our largest export market.

The Chief of Army Staff said Pakistan continues to believe in using diplomacy and dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues with India including the Kashmir dispute. He said Pakistan is ready to move forward on this front if India also agrees to do so. 

Expressing deep concerns over the recent landing of an Indian supersonic cruise missile inside Pakistan territory, the Army Chief said this raises serious questions about India's ability to manage and operate high-end weapon systems. He said Pakistan has called for a thorough probe into the incident. He said we expect India to provide evidence to ensure Pakistan and the world community that their weapons are safe and secured.

The Army Chief said Pakistan continues to work closely with the international community to pursue peace and stability in Afghanistan. He said it is our collective responsibility toward the Afghan people to ensure timely and adequate humanitarian aid flows into the country. He warned that the consequences of our inability to address the humanitarian crisis will lead to the refugee crisis and will again make Afghanistan an epicenter of terrorism. 

General Qamar Bajwa reaffirmed Pakistan's unwavering commitment to defeating terrorism. He said we have made remarkable gains against terrorism which have resulted in marked improvement in the internal security situation of Pakistan. However, the threat of terrorism and violent extremism remains and our struggle will continue till we eliminate the last terrorist and the cause of terrorism from the region.