importance of Army Chief’s Visit to USA I

Pakistan army is the custodian of magnificent history and heart touching stories of Shuhada (martyrs), Ghazis and is considered one of the best in the world. Whole nation is proud of its armed forces and standing with them like a rock and rejected wholeheartedly the negative and fabricated propaganda against it which is a part of fifth generation war. Commanding Pakistan Army is a matter of great pride. Chief of Army Staff General Hafiz Syed Asim Munir who took the charge of this prestigious institution on 29th November,2022 at a very difficult time facing many challenges on national and international fronts. He now by the grace of Almighty Allah completed one year. General Hafiz Asim Munir is a man of action and his actions speak louder than his words. Prior to becoming Army Chief, he served at the GHQ as Quartermaster General and also commanded the XXX Corps in Gujranwala from 17 June, 2019 to 6 October, 2021. He is recipient of prestigious sword of honour for his outstanding and meritorious performance at Officers Training School (OTS) at `Mangla. He also served as 23rd Director General of ISI (DG ISI) till June 16, 2019.Syed Asim Munir’s late father Syed Sarwar Munir was the principal of the Federal Government Technical High School. He was also Imam of Masjid e Quraish at Dehra Hassanabad where he delivered Friday sermon. General Hafiz Asim Munir has two brothers Syed Qasim Munir and Syed Hashim Munir who are also Hafiz e Quran. General Asim’s family is popularly known as “Huffaz’s family”. Asim Munir is a vibrant, committed and dedicated thorough professional and is fitness enthusiast. He likes running, physical workout and sports. He has good intellectual capacity and likes book reading. He is fluent in English, Punjabi, Urdu and Arabic. He studied at Command and Staff College, Quetta, The Malaysian Armed Forces College, Kuala Lampur.

Pakistan is moving towards balancing its foreign policy and wants friendship with all major player of global politics. It has excellent relations with China and very good relations with Russia and also good relations with United States of America. These relations are in larger interest of Pakistan and United States of America and are not at the cost of other countries.
Sunday 10th December,2023 was an important day when Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir went for his inaugural visit to United States of America since assuming his office last year. The COAS met with US secretary of State, Secretary of Defence, and the National Security Adviser at the White House. He also met with US senior military and government officials.
He also addressed with a selected gathering of United States of America’s scholars and foreign policy experts. Army Chief’s visit came a day after the conclusion of the two-day stay of Thomas West, the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan, in Pakistan. The American envoy conveyed Washington’s resolve to “Stand with Pakistan” in its fight against terrorism and challenges posed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Notably, the army chief has engaged with several US officials since taking office, including discussions with US Secretary Lloyd Austin in October and a meeting with US Central Command Chief General Michael Erik Kurilla in July, where the latter recognized Pakistan’s efforts for regional peace and stability. It is also expected that Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir will meet with Director CIA William F Burns and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q Brown Jr.

Pakistan is a very important country and for the durable peace in the region and no country can ignore it. During COAS visit Major General Patrick Ruder said, “Pakistan continuous to be an important partner in the region. “ . US spokesperson said Pakistan is a major Non-NATO Ally and partner. Since general Munir’s arrival in Washington coincided with an Indian Supreme Court that endorsed Indian occupied Kashmir’s (IoK) merger with India many also speculated that the issue could feature in talks he held with US officials. The spoke person said they are continued to follow development in Jammu and Kashmir closely, noting the Supreme Court’s ruling.

United States of America (USA) is a country located in North America. It consists of fifty states, a federal district, five main unincorporated territories and nine major outlying islands. It includes three hundred and twenty-six Indian reservations. United States of America is third largest country by land and total area. It shares land boundaries with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has marine borders with Bahamas, Cuba, Russia and other nations. With a population of over 333 million it is the most populous country in Americas and the third most populous country in the world. Its capital is Washington D.C and its most populous city and financial hub is Ney York City.

It is important for Pakistan to enhance its relations with United States of America and other western countries as it cannot not afford isolation. It should particularly move towards enhancing trade relations to stabilize its economy. Another area of interest to provide maximum chance to its youth to study in top of American Universities specially in the fields of Information Technology and Business. Pakistan is fortunate and rich in a sense that it has sixty percent youth in its population. These youth are energetic, talented and need to provide proper guidance and finance to get higher education abroad. Pakistan rendered a lot of sacrifices for America in its war against terrorism where more than 70,000 people died and a loss of US$ 100 billion. Now Pakistan and United States of America should sign Pakistan USA Education Corridor (PUEC) to facilitate its youth to enable them to equip themselves with modern technological and skilled based education. A strong Pakistan both economically and having strong defence is in the interest of region and strong Pakistan is the guarantee of peace and prosperity of the region. If America wants durable, enduring and strong relations with Pakistan it should help Pakistan to uplift its economy and to equip its youth with IT and entrepreneur skills. In past it invested our youth providing arms to fight its wars against Soviet Union and now it should invest in educating Pakistani youth and will see the difference.