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Express Tribune
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PM proposes KSA, UAE as venues for Pak-India talks
Listen to article Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) could be considered potential venues for any future dialogue between Pakistan and India, with the United States playing a key role in facilitating the negotiations. Pakistan's national security adviser/DG ISI would represent the country in any such talks, he confirmed. The premier made these remarks while talking to senior journalists in the federal capital. Tensions between Pakistan and India escalated on April 22 after New Delhi accused Islamabad of carrying out an attack in IIOJK's tourist spot Pahalgam, killing 26 people. Tensions further escalated in the early hours of May 7, when missile strikes hit six cities in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), destroying a mosque and killing dozens of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. In a swift military response, Pakistan's armed forces shot down Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets, widely regarded as a key asset of the Indian Air Force. The confrontation intensified again in the early hours of May 10, when India targeted several Pakistani airbases with missile strikes. In retaliation, Pakistan launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, damaging Indian military installations, including missile storage sites, airbases, and other strategic targets. During a discussion with journalists, the prime minister said Pakistan would choose either Saudi Arabia or the UAE as the venue for future talks with India, with the US playing a major role. He added that the national security adviser/DG ISI would represent Pakistan in the negotiations. He emphasized the need for mediation in Indo-Pak talks by international stakeholdersincluding Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and particularly the United Statesand said that any future negotiations must include a comprehensive agenda addressing core issues such as Kashmir, water, trade, and terrorism. Speaking about the recent conflict with India, the prime minister noted that Pakistan's armed forces had fought bravely against the enemy. He maintained that an agreement was reached during communications between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries that their respective forces would return to pre-conflict positions. However, no timeline has been set for the withdrawal, he said. The prime minister recalled that during his address at Kakul Academy, he had invited the international community to conduct an open investigation into the Pahalgam attack. He said Pakistan's neutral stance was acknowledged and the offer was accepted globally. When asked if Israel had supported India during the conflict, Shehbaz responded affirmatively, citing reports that indicated Israeli presence and assistance. "Despite this, we achieved victory through God's grace," he said, adding that Pakistan used its domestically developed Juwal Fatah missile system during the conflict. The prime minister said Field Marshal Asim Munir earned respect due to his "bravery and unwavering actions". As a result of the army chief's resolute leadership, we requested him to take on the role of Field Marshal, Shehbaz said, adding that it was upon the government's requestnot the general's desirethat he was offered the honorary rank of Field Marshal. "General Munir's decisive command earned him respect and led us to ask him to accept this role," said Sharif. The journalists quipped about the prime minister's own leadership role during the conflict, to which he replied with a smile, "You may call me a political field marshal". Recalling the conflict, the prime minister said that at around 2:30 am, he received an angry call from the army chief, who informed him that India was preparing to launch an attack. "I told the army chief we had no hesitationrespond to India, move ahead," he said. Shehbaz added that Pakistan gave a strong response to a country five times its size, far ahead in both economic and military terms. "India considered itself the SHO of the region; we shattered that arrogance. We defended the country solely for the sake of Almighty's pleasure," he stated. He further highlighted the valor and coordination among all defence institutions, crediting air marshal and the naval leadership for strategic execution. Shehbaz said that although Pakistan had the capability to destroy more Indian systems, restraint was exercised in order to avoid further escalation. "We do not wish for war, but for peace in the region," he asserted. The prime minister expressed gratitude to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Azerbaijan, and especially China, for their unwavering support during the conflict. He noted with amusement that Pakistan had effectively become a "marketing country for Chinese technology," reflecting on its strategic utility during the hostilities. He affirmed that the government intends to complete its term, adding, "What happens in the future is in God's handswe are focused solely on doing our job." He reaffirmed Pakistan's position that it has never supported terrorism, and reiterated the country's commitment to peace and prosperity in the region.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Asim Malik appointed Pakistan's National Security Advisor: How it shifts the power balance to the military
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Pakistan army chief Gen Asim Munir has taken firm control over civilian authority with the first appointment of a serving military general, in this case DG ISI Lt Gen Asim Malik , as Pakistan's national security adviser . Put simply, the Pakistan NSA will follow the DG ISI's military chain of command and report directly to the army appointment has weakened the office of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif , who now stands like a pale shadow of the power his predecessor Imran Khan wielded. NSA's office was vacant since 2022 when Moeed Yusuf, a scholar who was picked for the post by Khan, moved placing the serving DG ISI as NSA, the first message Munir has conveyed externally is that the army is now in control and will be the point of contact for all security and related conversions for all foreign governments. Importantly, NSA-level talks and intelligence community conversations will converge under one military office. So, for instance, the US NSA, DNI and CIA chief will have to deal with problem is that earlier NSA used to report to the Pakistan PM. Now, Malik, while working under the legal and constitutional cover of Sharif's office, will report to Munir. Both officers are known to have worked closely with each other in the bitter fight with Imran who was DG ISI when the Pulwama attack took place, was replaced within eight months of being in office by Khan. He shared a bitter relationship with his successor Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, seen as a Khan loyalist in the military, and against whom Munir found a willing collaborator in was Malik, who as adjutant general, probed the riots which followed Imran Khan's arrest in which many civilians were tried in military courts. He was the one who launched court martial proceedings on graft charges against Hameed and oversaw the entire other message is that Pakistan's entire security decision-making apparatus is now fully in the army's grip. Between Munir and Malik, they will now ensure that the Pakistan PM's role in framing defence, security and, to an extent, economic policies is made best, Sharif will now run a front office while Munir will take all critical decisions in his role of NSA in Pakistan has evolved over the years into one which keeps the balance between the civilian office and the military power centre. It was through this office that Pakistan's leadership has also engaged India in backchannel talks - whether it was Tariq Aziz in the past or Nasir Khan Janjua, who was in touch with NSA Ajit Doval, in the initial years after PM Narendra Modi came to the appointment of a serving officer as NSA, this balance has shifted decisively in favour of Rawalpindi. This is in line with the overall shift Munir has tried to effect over the past few months, bringing Kashmir back on centre stage and modeling his approach on Zia-ul-Haq who had said the military's responsibility was not only "safeguarding the countries territorial integrity but also its ideological frontiers", a sentiment the Pakistan army chief echoed in his provocative address to overseas rise in the post-Khan era has been quite dramatic. He was to retire on November 27, 2024, while his predecessor had until November 29 in office. As an exception, he was promoted three days before his retirement on November 24, resulting in an unprecedented situation where Pakistan army had two four-star generals at the same time.A product of the Officers Training School, Mangla, Munir is not the elite officer category, a tag associated with those who are from the Long Course in Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul. The OTS was created to address officer shortage in the army and was shut down in 1990. Not many officers from OTS make it to senior ranks, which are dominated by PMA on the other hand, is from the top military elite. A sword of honour from PMA Long Course with a doctorate in US-Pakistan relations, Malik provides Munir with the ideal cover as he seeks to consolidate his rise within the system and now the polity, by increasing risks on Kashmir and ratcheting Islamic extremism in dangerous times.
