Economic aid more important than military aid: COAS

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, presiding over the 139th Core Commanders Conference, said that US funds meant for the military should be diverted towards economic aid.

The Core Commanders requested that the government divert this aid so that it could provide relief to the common man. According to the ISPR, the Core Commanders conference was held at the GHQ and chaired by COAS Kayani.

The participants were given a comprehensive briefing with special reference to internal security, terrorism, role of the media, the society, and all organs of the state to comprehensively address the ongoing challenges that the Country faces, and military to military relationship with the US.

The participants noted with regret that despite briefing the Joint Session of the Parliament and deferring the ultimate findings to the Commission appointed by the Government, some quarters, because of their perceptual biases, were trying to deliberately run down the Armed Forces and Army in particular. COAS said that in order to confront the present challenges, it was critical to stand united as a nation and any effort to create divisions between important institutions of the Country was not in the national interest.

General Kiyani informed the participants of the conference that the military relationship with the US had to be viewed within the realm of bilateral relations between the two countries. The relationship needed to be reassessed after the May 2 incident and the Joint Parliamentary Resolution which was passed on 14th May. A clarification was given on the level of US training assistance. The participants were informed that training was received on newly inducted weapons and some training assistance for the Frontier Corp was given, but even that had been ceased.

The participants were also informed about the extent of intelligence cooperation with the US, and that it had been decided to share intelligence strictly on the basis of reciprocity and complete transparency. It has been clearly put across to US intelligence officials that no intelligence agency would be allowed to carry out independent operation on Pakistani soil.

News about military operations in North Waziristan also came under discussion. COAS informed the participants that the Army was following a well thought out campaign plan and was under no pressure to carry out operations at a particular time.

The Army Chief added that future operations, as and when undertaken, would be with political consensus. He, however, called upon the brave people of North Waziristan to evict all foreigners from their soil and take charge of their land and destiny once again. He emphasised that it was wrong, in principle, to allow others to use our land for fighting their battles.

The Army in North Waziristan was committed to supporting the people in this effort. On the issue of drone attacks it was stated that the Army had repeatedly conveyed to all concerned that they were not acceptable and that the Government was making necessary efforts in this regard.

COAS also informed the forum that the often quoted figure of US $ 13-15 Billion utilised by the Army in the last ten years was misplaced. Under the head of Coalition Support Fund (CSF), against a total sum of US $ 13 Billion expected from the US, only US $ 8.6 Billion have been received by the Government of Pakistan. Over the last ten years only US $ 1.4 Billion was made available by the Government for the Army and a relatively smaller amount had gone to the Navy and PAF as well. The rest approximately US $ 6 Billion, had been utilised by the Government of Pakistan for budgetary support which ultimately meant the people of Pakistan.