Those who work hard in silence
and let their success make the noise are the real heroes that revel to create
substantial impact with their unwavering capabilities and unmatched ample
perseverance. Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa is such a hero who has proven his worth and
competencies in a diminutive period and has exhibited his potentials of grit and
insight.
It has been eight months since Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was appointed as the COAS,
one of the most highly prestigious and powerful positions in Pakistan. It is
never easy to hold office of such responsibility especially when the predecessor
has set such high bars of expectations. Gen (r) Raheel Sharif has been an
acclaimed asset of Pakistan and has served to be not only a great leader for the
Pakistan Army but has also been a cherished lead for whole of the nation. Gen
Qamar Javed Bajwa has manifestly sustained the legacy of the former but also set
new bars of committed excellence by being low profile but firm with describing
decisions.
One of the reasons for his appointment as a COAS was his pro democratic track
record. And it has been witnessed that despite Pakistan experiencing political
fluctuations, COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has strengthened the democracy scenario
and let the democracy get mature and run its course with upholding the
constitution prime and supreme. The pro-democracy standing of COAS has added to
mark political stability and washed away any concerns that shadowed otherwise.
Dawn leaks has been a sensitive issue and demanded a solution which was handled
with subtle amicability. An intense fallout of the Dawn leaks story and the
committed follow-up by the Army and COAS has led to investigation of the matter
and dismissal of the responsible was realized. It is clearly the standing of the
COAS at not surrendering the issue that led to set an example to adhere to the
ethical norms of journalism and exhibited the vivid message that any attempt to
malign the institutions of Pakistan, especially the Armed Forces, will not be
dealt with leniency.
Another recent delicate matter sparked after the unfortunate terrorist attack in
Parachinar where the bomb blasts claimed more than 80 precious lives while
injuring another 200. After the bomb blasts in Parachinar, a large gathering of
people observed a sit-in as a protest against the terrorist attacks in a Shia
dominated area and demanded a profound action against the culprits. Such a
terrorist attack is targeted to disrupt the sectarian concord in the expanse and
exploit the situation adding fuel to the fire. In this delicate matter COAS Gen
Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Parachinar to offer condolences to the grieving
families. Furthermore he also held a meeting with the tribal elders and the
families of the victims to resolve the anger that led to the sit-in situation
and diminish the anguish of the community. It was indeed a sensitive issue but
the elders and families exhibited their faith and support with the Pakistan Army
and its leadership. The local elders and the victim families resolved that they
are Pakistanis and Muslims only and their blood is for Pakistan. It is
creditable for the COAS to be able to restore assurance and unity amongst the
community.
The Pak-Afghan relations have perceived vacillations in the past as the
terrorism remains the core issue disrupting the peace at both sides. COAS Gen
Qamar Javed Bajwa cited to extend its support with Afghanistan in order to
eradicate the cancer of terrorism and to deal with the issue with utmost support
and resilience. And Pakistan Army will extend coordinated efforts with
Afghanistan to resolve the issue.
Moreover in the start of the year surgical strikes were carried out in
Afghanistan by Pakistan Army targeting the terrorist camps. It was a first for
Pakistan Army as it has never been initiated before. These strikes were carried
out after substantial evidence and intel was gained on these camps related to
the tragedy at Laal Shahbaz shrine which claimed nearly 90valuable lives and
left the country in anguish and dismay. The tormented nation demanded a strong
action against the responsible elements. With the nation standing behind the
Army, the strikes were carried out by Pakistan Army on the terrorist campswhich
reflects the inner strength of the Army leadership and its resolve to stamp out
any internal or external threats making attempts to de stabilize Pakistan.
To further control the cross border terrorist movement, Pakistan Army started
the fencing of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is also a first
for Pakistan as over a decade the problem has erected challenges for the
security forces. Fencing the borders will allow a better monitoring of the
border and will hinder the escape routines for the terrorists. The construction
of the fence will be carried out intwo phases. In the phase one, the
'high-infiltration prone' border which includes the areas of Bajaur, Mohmand and
Khyber Agencies will be sealed off. In the second phase, the railing of the
remaining border areas of Baluchistan will be carried out.
Another achievement of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in his eight months of holding the
office is sparing the troops for carrying out Census. It was established that
the much overdue National Population Census could not be carried out without the
involvement of the Army troops. Despite the engagements of the Army in
anti-terrorist ops, Gen Qamar Bajwa approved utilization of 200,000 troops for
the activity. It was a difficult decision as the troops were to be spared not
compromising on the security of the region and the efficiency of the operational
activities. The Census was carried out with the Pakistan Army troops involved in
all the steps with the trained staff to provide security oversight to the teams
and also to ensure the validity and exactness of the collected data. COAS Gen
Bajwa along with the Army leadership kept tabs on the troops’ efficacy and
monitored each step to ensure exactitudeof the process and eliminate any
concerns by the stake holders.
The deployment of troops in Census did not hamper the efforts of Pakistan Army
to up root the threats lurking to de-stabilize the country. In a recent
intelligence based operation carried out in Mustang region of Baluchistan, 12
hard core terrorists were killed. In difficult landscape of caves, the operation
was carried out to target notable banned terrorists belonging to
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Alami who were reported to be in hiding. There were
actionable reports that the organization has been collaborating with Daesh to
provide a foothold for its operations inside Pakistan. It was alarming and an
immediate action was required. The said operation was conducted by Pakistan Army
for almost three days and successful results were attained. An attempt of
footing intended for Daesh was dealt with prompt action and
eliminatedsuccessfully and is certainly a great accomplishment for COAS Gen
Bajwa’s leadership. Furthermore in a short time more than 600 rebels in
Baluchistan have surrendered. Gen Bajwa has also expressed great support for the
development in Baluchistan.
Zarb-e-Azb, a defining manoeuvre against all threats of terrorism has proved to
be a final blow to the terrorist networks. The operation initiated in time of
Gen (r) Raheel Shareef, is still in continuance in the current leadership with
utmost zest and zeal. The continuation of the aggressive operations has led to
significantoutcomes. But this operation which broke the terrorist networksalso
stemmed in sleeper cells and isolated terrorist snaresathwart the country. To
eradicate these hideouts, a new operation Rudd–ul-fasaad was initiated. This
on-going intel-based operation is collaborated between different intelligence
agencies and theSecurity Forces of Pakistan to sweep for terrorists nationwide
and conduct targeted operations. For the first time, such targeted operations
were carried out in Punjab and a number of terrorists were apprehended and the
terrorist sanctuaries destroyed. The operation is carried out in every city,
every province of Pakistan concurrently and is the biggest operation of its kind
in the history of Pakistan.
Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa also accompanied Prime Minister Nawaz Shareef to Saudia
Arabia to help resolve the Gulf conflict. Saudi Arabia, along with Egypt,
Bahrain andUAE cut off all ties with Qatar on the alleged support for extremism
and terrorism. Pakistan played neutrality and offered to extend its help to
resolve the issue as Pakistan relishes brotherly relations with all the Gulf
countries.
A few days back, Pakistan successfully carried out the test of The Hatf IX
("Vengeance IX") or Nasr which is a tactical ballistic missile system. The
successful test of this missile with improved range is deployed to deter and
respond to India’s cold start doctrine. It is developed as a "low-yield
battlefield deterrent" which marks at mechanized forces like armed brigades and
divisions and can be used against Indian Army on Pakistani soil as the blast
yield is much lower than strategic nuclear missile.
The eight months of Chief of Army Staff, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has proved him to
be a pragmatic leader initiating bold and timely responses. In the hour of need,
Gen Qamar Bajwa was seen in the forefront retorting to any call-for-action with
readiness and insight. Certainly the achievements of Pakistan Army in
strengthening Pakistan, clearly reflects the dauntless and valiant leaderand
fortifies the reliance of the Armed Forces and the nation in Gen Qamar Javed
Bajwa. Surely the COAS of Pakistan Army, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa not only kept
high the legacy and elevated unwavering bar set by his predecessor but he also
touched new heights of achievements and deliverance.