Photo courtesy PID
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday warned regional peace cannot be achieved until the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
Addressing the graduation ceremony of officers of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Academy in Risalpur, he condemned the ongoing human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Stressing that Pakistan is a peace-loving country and wants friendly ties with all its neighbors, he warned that its desire for peace must not be misconstrued as “weakness.”
Maintaining that Pakistan would not indulge in any arms race, he said it would nonetheless continue enhancing its capability in line with evolving technology to deter any aggression. The rapidly changing geo-strategic environment, he noted, had a profound impact on Pakistan and the rest of the region. “Therefore, the situation demands advancements in space networks, cyber technology, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence,” he said, praising the PAF modernization process through smart induction of cutting-edge niche technology. He said the PAF had also achieved great progress in cyberspace and non-contact warfare through indigenous means.
Describing the armed forces of Pakistan as professionally competent and well-trained to cope with all internal and external challenges, he added: “The nation holds our armed forces in high esteem for the sacrifices they rendered for national defense and for their contribution towards nation-building.”
He also praised the country’s brave armed forces for always showing great courage during testing times to keep the national flag high. “I assure you that as a nation we have surmounted challenges in the past and Insha’Allah, we will do so in future and make the country prosperous,” he said.
The caretaker congratulated the cadets who graduated from the colleges of flying training and aeronautical engineering and expressed confidence they would give their best professional performance with commitment and diligence. “Being the custodians of the PAF, you carry the hopes of this nation and must work hard to keep abreast with modern technology and trends related to modern warfare,” he added.
The graduating class included 148 general duty pilots; 94 aeronautical engineers; 104 air defense and 130 combat support course officers.