ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and his newly chosen ministers on Friday made a visit to the military’s General Headquarters and praised the military’s role in Pakistan’s “peaceful rise.”
The military’s Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet members were received by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir and other top military generals and presented a Guard of Honour before they sat down to discuss national security, regional stability and military preparedness.
“They were briefed on the current security environment, threat spectrum, response to the security threats and ongoing counter-terrorism operations,” a statement by the ISPR to the news media read.
It said Shehbaz and his ministers appreciated the professionalism, operational readiness of the Pakistan Army and its sacrifices in Pakistan’s war against terrorism. “Pakistan is destined to rise and the role of the armed forces in ensuring peaceful rise of Pakistan cannot be over-emphasised,” the statement quoted the prime minister as saying.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government came into power after the February 8 elections, is said to have assured the Army that his government would provide all the resources it required to ensure operational readiness of the armed forces.
The Army chief thanked the PM for his visit to the GHQ and reposing confidence in the Army, affirming that the Pakistan Army will continue to measure up to the nation’s expectations and resolutely support the government in addressing the security challenges Pakistan faces.
The PM and his cabinet and the military leadership agreed to uphold national interests and work together for “a prosperous and secure Pakistan”, the statement said.
Before the prime minister and his entourage, he stopped to pay tribute to the military martyrs by laying a floral wreath at the Martyrs’ Memorial, or Yadgar-e-Shuhada.
