Daily Times

Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa Monday called on Prime Minister Imran Khan. During the meeting, they discussed the professional matters pertaining to the Pakistan Army, a PM Office statement said.

The COAS also called on President Dr Arif Alvi to brief him about the professional preparedness and measures being taken by the security forces against the terrorist elements. During a meeting at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, they discussed the national security and regional situation, a press release said. The COAS reiterated the resolve that the armed forces were committed to eliminate militants and miscreants from the country.

Talking to the COAS, the president paid rich tribute to the security forces, who laid down their lives in the recent operations against the militants in Balochistan and the merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the nation was proud of the sacrifices of its armed forces, which had always defended the national frontiers against all odds. Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has termed the Pakistan-Iran frontier as a border of peace and friendship in a meeting with the Iranian interior minister, according to the military’s media wing. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi along with a delegation visited the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday and discussed bilateral matters including security issues.

The geostrategic environment particularly regional security situation and bilateral cooperation in defence and security domains were discussed during the meeting, the ISPR said.

The Pak-Iran border security mechanism including border markets also came under discussion, it added.

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The COAS said that enhanced cooperation between the two brotherly neighbours is vital for peace and stability in the region. “Terming the Pak-Iran border as the border of peace and friendship, [the] COAS highlighted the need to put in collective efforts to deny any space or liberty of action to be exploited by miscreants along [the] Pak-Iran border,” the military’s media wing added. The Iranian minister, while acknowledging stability in Afghanistan as collective regional responsibility, appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for peace and stability, particularly humanitarian assistance being rendered to mitigate challenges faced by the people of Afghanistan. Dr Vahidi along with his nine-member delegation arrived in Pakistan on a day-long visit earlier in the day on Monday.