Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that the country is making steady but sure-footed progress in making Pakistan a terrorism and extremism free country with full backing of the nation.

“Pakistan is much safer than before. Peace has been restored in FATA and adjoining areas. Normalcy is returning to Pakistan’s economic hub of Karachi, where business community and common people have started to benefit from it,” the army chief said while addressing a seminar on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Similarly, he said, law and order situation in Balochistan had improved significantly and there was a much bigger focus on socio-economic development in the province. “Let me assure that the army and law enforcement agencies are vigilant and are determined to provide foolproof security to CPEC. No one should have any doubt about our commitment to the project. We will make CPEC a success… come what may,” the COAS said.

He said that Pakistan was fortunate to have Chinese brothers on her side to assist in surmounting the gigantic challenges facing CPEC.

“Pakistan is a resilient nation of over 200 million people with a large ratio of vibrant, capable and enthusiastic youth. We need to capitalise this opportunity to make Pakistan an economic power in coming years. I want our entrepreneurs to join hands with our Chinese brothers and make this dream a reality. My dream is that by the year 2030, when we complete the current phase of economic partnership between the two countries, Pakistan should be in league with middle income countries.”

The COAS said, “We take immense pride in our relationship with China that has always remained on an ascending trajectory and now encompass almost every sphere of our life. The lasting imprint of this brotherly partnership is visible in state-to-state, military-to-military, business-to-business and people-to-people contacts. Pak-China relationship is based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, commonality of interest and shared perception on regional and global issues. We have always stood by each other through thick and thin and at every critical juncture of our history. That is why we are called ‘Iron Brothers’.”

He said the honourable President of China Xi Jinping’s grand vision of One Belt, One Road (OBOR) had opened up a whole new world of opportunities for the countries of the region and beyond. CPEC, being an important project of OBOR, holds great promise for turning around the economies of Pakistan, Western China and the region, he said. “That is why we consider it a game-changer.”

The COAS said that the CPEC was also affirmation of “our efforts for a peaceful and prosperous region”. “Unlike some countries of South Asia, we believe in focusing our energies on peace and inclusiveness. CPEC is a great initiative for people of the region, particularly the people of Pakistan. It is truly a harbinger of economic development, prosperity and peace. Chinese investment in various fields, including energy, infrastructure, Gwadar Port and special economic zones, could lay the foundation of a fast developing, progressive Pakistan, if the opportunity is optimally utilised.”

He said that the nation could only benefit from this historic opportunity if “we prepare ourselves to embrace it”. All national institutions would have to make a deliberate effort to ensure success of CPEC, he said. “To begin with, we need education, training and skill development of our youth to enable them to reap benefits from this economic initiative.”

He underlined the need to improve the existing laws and regulations to provide a facilitating framework for trade and investment activities. “Infrastructure and urban planning are need of the hour to ensure that the country can handle large volume of business and transport without any hassle.”

He said that the CPEC would bring increasing economic integration between the regional economies on the one hand and reduce the development gap within various regions of Pakistan on the other. “This, however, will require transformation of trade corridors into economic corridors with the help of industrial and urban development, under a unified development framework. We must ensure that the people of Pakistan benefit from CPEC to enjoy the fruits of prosperity. This will require leadership, collaborative spirit and capacity building at a much higher pace and level.”

General Bajwa said that while the army provided security to the project, other national institutions would have to come forward and play their respective roles.

Published in Daily Times, July 13^th , 2017.