“Whether it is Modi, RAW or anyone else….”

Raheel Sharif gives first direct warning to Indian PM

Says nation fully understands enemy’s designs

Will ensure security of CPEC at any cost

IN an unprecedented remark on Thursday, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif named both Indian prime minister Narinder Modi and India’s premier spy agency RAW while reaffirming the commitment of Pakistan’s armed forces to national security.

“Whether it is Modi, RAW or anybody else, we have come to comprehend the conspiracies of enemies,” he said while speaking at a seminar on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Gilgit. “We will ensure the security of CPEC at any cost,” he declared.

“With complete convictions, I can say that we are headed in the right direction. We will leave no stone unturned to ensure the security of the country,” he said.

The army chief’s remarks come in the backdrop of the Indian prime minister’s provocative statements on Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province. Speaking at the Red Fort as part of India’s Independence Day rallies, Narendra Modi had said, “I want to express my gratitude to the people of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistani Occupied Kashmir (sic) for the way they whole-heartedly thanked me, the way they expressed gratitude to me… .People of a distant land I haven’t even seen...When they thank the Indian PM, it’s an honour for the 125 crore people of the country….”

The sabre-rattling was responded to inkind by the foreign office, which has cited the speech as proof of its long standing allegations that its eastern neighbour had a role in the Balochistan insurgency. General Raheel Sharif also said that significant progress has been made in operation Zarb-e-Azab. “The way we tackled the menace of terrorism, no one has been able to replicate that,” he said. “I want the youth to know that Pakistan Army is their army,” he said.

“We don’t care what the world says, but we are fighting for our survival and the way the army has worked for eradication of terrorism, no other army can do that,” he added.

CPEC: Speaking about the CPEC, the army chief said that the Chinese leadership wanted to develop Gilgit-Baltistan like Urumqi, a city in Northwestern China, which has come to be an economic hub in that part of the country.

Although the government is yet to respond to army chief’s statement, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the daughter of prime minister Nawaz Sharif, responded to the statement positively, praising the army chief’s conviction that the country was moving in the right direction. “Yes, that’s what the world is saying too. Thank you Nawaz Sharif, thank you Raheel Sharif. Pakistan Zindabad,” she said.