ATTCOK, Dec 12: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Thursday that in the three years following the events of October, 1999, the country, through sheer hard work and honesty, had been pulled out of the morass it had descended into.

This he stated while speaking to the serving and retired officers, junior commissioned officers (JCOs), NCOs and troops at the conclusion of a two-day reunion ceremony at the Artillery Regimental Centre here on Thursday, which was also attended by a large number of formation commanders and other high-ranking officers.

The national exchequer has now adequate resources and after a long time an opportunity has arisen to improve the living standard of the poor and banish poverty, he said.

The country is now out of the external and internal crises that it had been facing in the past, and is set to tread the path of development.

It is now the duty of the elected government to take the process forward and launch such projects which would benefit the poor, he said.

The president recalled the dismal national scenario in 1999 and said that the country was facing external threats, while internally it faced a default situation. Governance was in a shambles and there was no rule of merit.

He, however, conceded that the problems of more than fifty years could not be resolved in days or months but would take a few years.

Commenting on the role of the Pakistan armed forces, the president said that they were responsible for protecting the country from both external and internal threats and remained ever-vigilant for the security and defence of the country.

He said that India tried to take advantage of the events of Sept 11, which were followed by an attack on the Indian parliament last December, to put pressure on Pakistan military by amassing its troops on the border and LoC, and, internationally, to scuttle the Kashmir issue.

Pakistan, he said, did not succumb to this pressure “as our intentions were good and our armed forces and the people had the courage and determination to face the situation bravely.”

The president said that after having failed in its nefarious designs and having achieved nothing, the Indian army was now going back from the borders with their morale at their lowest ebb. There are reports in the Indian media about mutiny by jawans against seniors in many of their units.

India has wasted Rs8 billion on the escalation, as it could not achieve its objectives. This is due to the faith in Allah, the courage of our armed forces and our conventional deterrence.

President Musharraf praised the resolve of the Pakistan armed forces, who, he said, braved adversity and inhospitable conditions, “earning the unique distinction of defeating the enemy without fighting a war.”

He said that he was proud to be the supreme commander of such valiant armed forces. He said that even when the Indian pressure was on, he categorically stated that if anybody tried to cross the LOC, he would be eliminated. He said that it had been made clear to the enemy in unequivocal terms that Pakistan armed forces were fully capable of deterring any aggression.

Earlier, Gen Musharraf formally installed Lt-Gen Abdul Qayum, Chairman, Pakistan Ordnance Factories, as Col Commandant of the Corps of Artillery.

He announced a grant of Rs1 million for the welfare-oriented projects of Artillery Centre, Attock. He also gave away prizes and trophies to different units for attaining excellence in their professional pursuits.