The comments of a former Chief of Army Staff on the combat readiness of the army quoted out of context ISPR Military reports that Pakistan would not stop being proud of its operational preparation and utmost combat worthiness.
A previous army chief’s “off the record” comments about the “combat worthiness” of the Pakistani armed forces were “quoted out of context” in the media, the military’s media wing said on Friday.
“Recently, there have been discussions in media on Pakistan Army’s combat worthiness in view of the condition of certain weapon systems on its inventory,” said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
A statement from the military’s media wing continued, “views of former army chief on future threat to Pakistan, which he shared with media persons in an off the record interactive session, have been quoted out of context.”
“Army assures the people of Pakistan that we always took and will continue to take pride in our operational preparedness and utmost combat worthiness,” the ISPR continued.
That “Pakistan’s Armed Forces always did and will continue to keep their weapons, equipment, and battle-hardened human resource ever ready to defend the motherland” was a central tenet of the statement.
Almost a week ago, journalist Hamid Mir said in an interview on a local news channel that former chief of army staff “Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa told 20-25 journalists in 2021 that the Pakistan Army was not capable of combat,” prompting the ISPR to issue a statement of clarification.
The veteran reporter further stated that the former army chief had struck a deal for “[occupied] Kashmir” after the 2021 truce between India and Pakistan, albeit the nature of this agreement has not been made public.
Mir further said that foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and prime minister Imran Khan were unaware that Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was planning to visit Pakistan immediately after the truce.
He elaborated that after the then-PM asked information about the Indian prime minister’s visit, Bajwa arrived at the Foreign Office with his convoy and delivered a lecture about how the lack of diesel to power the army’s tanks would impede military mobility.
HIT visit from Gen. Munir
Current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir reportedly visited the Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) earlier this month, where he was updated on the status of existing projects and the most recent innovations in defense industry.
The ISPR reports that during his visit, the army commander was updated on the HIT’s technological capabilities, the status of existing projects, indigenization efforts, and recent modernization steps.
The COAS also toured several HIT facilities, where he saw tanks, APCs, improved protection solutions, remote weapon systems, and indigenous 155mm artillery cannon barrels being produced for the Pakistan Army.
