ISLAMABAD: Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Friday said the recent talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) could not be materialised as yet; however, the armed forces were fully capable to respond to any threat to national security.
Addressing the Arab News Pakistan Annual Conference 2022 as a keynote speaker, the minister said, so far the situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was under control and would be tackled amicably in case of any terrorism threat.
Asif made it clear that the KP government should take responsibility, whereas, the federal government would support it.
While talking about the recent protest, he said the recent terrorism incidents were originated from Afghanistan. He expressed sorrow over the protest where people came out on the streets for their basic rights.
The minister further said the situation is similar to that of 2009 and 2010 re-emerging in Swat and northern areas of the KP.
“The situation is and will be controlled there. However, the recent revival of few terrorists is an expected spill-over from Afghanistan,” he added.
The minister further said there was a need to build a successful relationship between the two counties as peace in Pakistan is dependent on peace in Afghanistan.
He urged for a peaceful resolution of the matter while saying we would use force if it is inevitable to purge the country from the menace of terrorism.
He mentioned that the defence forces of Pakistan were fully equipped and the most battle-hardened anywhere in the world. Asif said the national security, at present, was fundamentally the economic security of a state.
While highlighting the role of media in national security, he said the importance of media for national security was of huge significance in the present era. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) had undergone very fundamental changes under the leadership of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and the media was playing a fundamental role in this regard.
He mentioned that media and change went hand in hand during the transformation triggered in any society as the media played a lead role in bringing about that change.
Media, he said was always the precursor of wars in previous times as it was always the media which brought to the forefront the strategic stance of warring parties. “I personally feel media is playing a critical part in Pakistan. Electronic and social media underwent a drastic increase exponentially.”
The minister said that the usage of media by politicians, especially social media, which “was misused”, needs to be understood in the current scenario. He said chaos is built through “fake news” about wars, policies, and strategies, which should be taken care of.
“The media wars during USSR and USA Cold War have been fought between them on print media and a bit on electronic media. The ideological part of these wars has diminished over the years. The commercial considerations of the media houses are also a reason for it as it has gained much precedence.”
He also mentioned that the country was facing terrorism for decades where the extremists were also using media very effectively for recruitment, explaining their reasons to opt for extremism and propagating their narratives among the masses.
While responding to a question, he said the change of command in the armed forces was a matter of sanctity which should be kept sacred. However, when this matter was taken into the realm of politics then this sanctity was obliterated.
“I had held the process of appointments of two Army Chiefs in my tenure as defence minister and it had never been such discussion on this issue. I have very high hopes that all institutions will perform their roles as defined by the Constitution”, he said, while adding, “we wish to have good ties with the US. Our foreign minister, prime minister, and chief of army staff (COAS)’s visits remained good and fruitful.”
He added that the country’s relations with the KSA were decades old and it was very important and had a pivotal role in our foreign policy. “The Kingdom has helped us at very critical times. Moreover, the Crown Prince’s visit to Pakistan will strengthen the bilateral ties further as it will help improve in the domain of defence and investment. We need investment in Pakistan to revitalise our economy. So, it is a very important visit.”
Replying to a query on Israel, he said, “We treat the issue of Palestine as dear to us as Kashmir. Israel is an apartheid state that believes in denying very fundamental rights to Palestinians. I have very strong views on Kashmir and Palestine. The Israeli treatment of Palestinians is what Nazis did to them. The victims are the tyrannizers of today”, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022