Pakistan cannot bring afghan war to Pakistan: COAS

F.P. Report

DUSHANBE: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Sunday said that Pakistan cannot bring Afghan war to Pakistan.

This was stated by the Army Chief during the meeting of Quadrilateral Counter Terrorism Coordination Mechanism (QCCM) held at Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Sunday.

The meeting was attended by senior military leadership of member countries i.e. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Pakistan, Gen Li Zuocheng China, General Sobirzoda Imomali Abdurrahim Tajikistan and General Sharif Yaftali Afghanistan, the ISPR said.

All four leaders welcomed the QCCM initiative and expressed hope that an inclusive and cooperative regional approach will prove best for eradication of terrorism.

Speaking on the occasion, General Qamar Javed Bajwa highlighted achievements of Pakistan in fight against terrorism for eliminating terrorists’ safe havens from its soil. He said that terrorism being a transnational threat can only be defeated through intelligence sharing and coordinated effective border management.

The participants also signed an outline cooperative mechanism which will come into force after its endorsement by respective governments. On sidelines of the event, COAS met Afghan CGS Gen Sharif Yaftali. Afghan situation was discussed candidly sharing concerns.

COAS while assuring fullest cooperation to Afghanistan said that Pakistan cannot bring Afghan war into Pakistan. COAS said that Pakistan has already cleared all its areas indiscriminately and has started unilateral border security measures including fencing. Besides border security management other key factor for enduring peace is dignified repatriation of Afghan Refugees.

The Army Chief reassured Afghan side that Pakistan is open to any suggestion that facilitate peace in Afghanistan. In this spirit, he offered to form a Pak-Afgan Army working group to jointly work and formulate security recommendations for government level discussion aimed at addressing mutual concerns. Afgan CGS agreed to the proposal and thanked COAS for his relentless efforts towards peace.