Daily Times

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has said that “nothing, including politics,” was above Pakistan and urged people to prioritise their country over “personal interests”, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The army chief visited an ongoing defence exhibition in Karachi a day ago, where he also engaged in meaningful interactions with foreign military officials and defence delegates present at the event.

Separately, addressing the business community in Karachi on Wednesday, Gen Munir said “nothing, including politics, is more important than the country”, emphasising the public must “prioritise Pakistan over personal interests”.

“Remember, we have no identity apart from Pakistan,” he said, noting that the state was like a mother and “its value should be asked from the people of Libya, Iraq and Palestine”. “No matter what the challenges, no one can harm us if we all stand united,” COAS Munir asserted. The army chief also spoke about Pakistan’s economic situation, expressing “complete faith in Pakistan’s bright and stable future”. “Today, all indicators of Pakistan’s economy are positive, and by next year, God willing, they will further improve,” he said.

Gen Munir highlighted that the country’s economy had improved since last year. “The clouds of hopelessness, [which] loomed a year ago, have now vanished,” he said, stressing that hopelessness was forbidden for Muslims.

Referring to talks last year about Pakistan’s economy facing a default – concerns which the PTI had also raised in 2022 – Gen Munir questioned, “Where are the people now who spread disappointment and talked about default of the country? Shouldn’t they be held accountable?” After PTI founder Imran Khan was ousted in April 2022, his party had raised alarms about the economic situation, blaming the PML-N-led ruling coalition for bringing the country to the cusp of default.

Meanwhile, the claims have been repeatedly dismissed by the government, which asserts it stabilised the economy that was “destroyed” by its predecessor PTI government.

Gen Munir also urged overseas Pakistanis to bring economic stability to the country through a bailout, stating: “Bring your investments to Pakistan so that the people earn, and the nation becomes prosperous.” Touching upon the issue of terrorism, the army chief remarked: “Terrorism is supported by those involved in illegal businesses and they are backed by specific elements.”

COAS Munir once again hinted at his concerns about “digital terrorism”, saying: “The protection of country’s digital borders and the digital security of its citizens is the responsibility of the state.” Previously, Gen Munir warned that social media was being exploited to spread anarchy and false information aimed at the armed forces, while the term ‘digital terrorism’ has been used to describe the actions of online critics accused of spreading falsehoods. Less than a week ago, he said unrestricted freedom of speech was “leading to the degradation of moral values in all societies”.