According to In
ter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has reportedly told a group of b
usinessmen t
hat the country’s “improved internal security environment” has “created space for increased economic activity”. The ISPR said Gen Bajwa had made the remarks while addressing the b
usiness community and the government’s economic team at the concluding session of a series of discussions and seminars titled ‘Interplay of economy and security’.
The event had been held at the Army Auditorium in Rawalpindi, the ISPR said. The media had reported t
hat the b
usinessmen had met the army chief at a dinner reception hosted by the latter. The COAS briefed the b
usiness community and the government’s economic team on the improved security situation in the country, saying, “National security is intimately linked to the economy, while prosperity is a function of a balance in security needs and economic growth.”
“Accessibility and responsiveness of the government economic team to the b
usiness community and the displayed understanding between public and private institutions is a goo
d sign for the desired positive trajectory in economic activity,” Gen Bajwa, who is also part of the National Development Council, was reported to have told the audience.
The ISPR said t
hat the seminars and discussions in question were held “in order to bring stakeholders on one platform to formulate recommendations for a synergisti
c way forward”.
The government’s economic team, on the other hand, had apprised the attendees of the initiatives and measures being taken by the government to facilitate b
usiness and stabilise the economy.
The b
usiness community also pitched in with its suggestions to improve ease of doing b
usiness. The b
usinessmen assured t
hat they would cooperate with the authorities to ensure that government policies were implemented and would “play their part” by paying taxes and investing in a “socially and economically responsible manner”.
The meeting had been a topic of much discussion on the social media, with some questioning why the b
usinessmen had approached the chief of army staff directly instead of approaching the civilian managers of the economy.
The press statement from the ISPR follows reports in the media t
hat the b
usinessmen in question had tabled their grievances with the government’s economic team in front of the army chief.
Separately, the ISPR said t
hat the Pakistan Army was ready to defend the country and its commanders reiterated their “resolve for [giving] befitting response to any Indian misadventure or aggression”. In a statement, the military’s media wing said a Corps Commanders Conference (CCC) was held earlier on Thursday – chaired by General Bajwa – at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. ISPR Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said the commanders at the meeting emphasised on giving a befitting response to India’s aggression that was “being conveyed through irresponsible media statements by Indian military commanders”. The CCC reviewed the geo-strategic and national security environment as well as the ongoing situation in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) and acknowledged effective highlighting of the Kashmir dispute exposing Indian human rights violations in the under-siege region during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session.