Gen. Bajwa – the man of the moment

Gen. Bajwa – the man of the moment

Dr. Jassim Taqui

While the entire cabinet was busy defending the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and countering opposition’s demand of de-seating him as MNA due to involvement in the laundering of dirty money, the COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa was the lone voice who gave hope and direction to the nation. The RAW, its foreign allies, and agents declared war against Pakistan while the elected representatives of the people kept mum and indifferent.  

There was a state of desperation among the nation that warranted a strong response to the terrorists and their local and foreign supporter. And it was Gen. Bajwa who filled the void.

According to ISPR, Gen. Bajwa promised to immediately ‘avenge’ each drop of Pakistani blood following the grisly bombing at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan on Thursday, saying the country would no longer show restraint to anyone
In a statement issued after the attack, Gen Qamar appealed to the nation to remain calm. “Your security forces shall not allow the hostile powers to succeed. We stand for our nation,” he was quoted as saying by ISPR.

Earlier, during a visit to  Mohmand and Bajaur agencies, the army chief warned ‘hostile agencies’ against playing with regional peace and stability stating that Pakistan reserves the right to respond despite its current policy of restraint.

The statements came amid the latest wave of terrorist attacks in the country. The sudden spike in violence starting with the deadly terrorist attack in Lahore has caused concerns among the country’s civil and military authorities about the role of the foreign hands. The Lahore blast that left 13 people dead including senior police officials was claimed by Jamaatul Ahrar, a splinter group of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The army chief also alluded to the fact that the ongoing spike in terrorism in Pakistan was linked to the ‘safe havens’ of terrorists in Afghanistan. A day earlier, the GHQ summoned a senior Afghan diplomat and shared with him evidence of the use of Afghan soil by militant groups to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

Gen Bajwa said terrorists were trying to regroup in safe havens in Afghanistan and were attempting to spread doubt and despondency in the Pakistani society. “We shall  collectively fail their desperate maneuvers.”