Use of force by any militia, group other than state unacceptable: COAS

Published November 17, 2023
Islamic scholars attend meeting with COAS Munir at GHQ on November 17. — Photo courtesy ISPR
Islamic scholars attend meeting with COAS Munir at GHQ on November 17. — Photo courtesy ISPR

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Friday termed the use of force or armed action by any militia, entity or group other than the state “unacceptable”.

According to a handout issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief made the remarks while interacting with Islamic scholars at General Headquarters Rawalpindi.

“Pakistan belongs to all Pakistanis without any religious, provincial, tribal, linguistic, ethnic, sectarian or any other distinction. Use of force and armed action by any militia, entity or group other than state is unacceptable,” the statement quoted the army chief as saying.

COAS Munir also lauded the ‘Paigham-i-Pakistan’ fatwa for nullifying “misleading propaganda disseminated by extremists and terrorists” and called on ulema to propagate and implement it in letter and spirit.

He acknowledged the role played by ulema in “harnessing youth towards understanding Quran, Sunnah, and character building alongside other academic knowledge and technical skills”.

“There is no space for intolerance and extreme behavior by any entity against anyone, particularly against minorities and vulnerable segments of the society,” COAS Munir said.

Meanwhile, the religious scholars unanimously condemned extremism, terrorism, and sectarianism and pledged their support for the “untiring efforts of state and security forces to bring tolerance, peace, and stability to the country,” the ISPR said.

They underscored that Islam was a religion of peace and harmony and any skewed and distorted interpretations of religion by certain entities was only for their vested interests and had nothing to do with Islamic teachings, the statement said.

It added that the forum also “unanimously supported the government’s measures to harden the state, including repatriation of illegal foreigners, implementation of a one-document regime, anti-smuggling and hoarding measures, and anti-power theft drive”.

“It also fully acknowledged Pakistan’s position and concerns on terrorism emanating from Afghan soil and urged serious actions by Afghanistan to address Pakistan’s concerns,” the ISPR said.

The statement concluded that the forum expressed anguish over Israeli bombardment in Gaza and termed them “crimes against humanity”.

Opinion

Editorial

Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.
Concerning measures
Updated 03 Nov, 2024

Concerning measures

The govt must seek political input and consensus on the changes it is seeking to make and be open about its intentions.
Short-lived relief?
03 Nov, 2024

Short-lived relief?

POLICYMAKERS must be jumping with joy. At the close of the first quarter of FY25, the budget posted a consolidated...
Brisk spread
03 Nov, 2024

Brisk spread

THE surge in polio cases has reached distressing levels with a tally of 45 last reported, after two cases emerged in...