Tag: peace

  • Time to extend hand of peace in all directions, says Gen Bajwa

    Time to extend hand of peace in all directions, says Gen Bajwa

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that Pakistan is fully committed to the ideals of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence as it is a peace-loving country.

    He was addressing the graduation ceremony of 144th GD (P), 90th Engineering Course, and 100th AD courses held at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Academy Asghar Khan, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    The country has rendered great sacrifices for regional and global peace, said Gen Bajwa, adding that it is time to extend “hand of peace in all directions”.

    The army chief also talked about the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict. Pakistan and India should also resolve the longstanding issue of Jammu and Kashmir in a dignified and peaceful manner as per the aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir and bring this human tragedy to its logical conclusion, the army chief emphasised.

    “However, we will not allow anybody or any entity to misinterpret our desire for peace as a sign of weakness,” he added.

    The army chief said that the armed forces were fully prepared to thwart any threat. The coordination and harmony displayed by all the three services in operations against the enemies of Pakistan had brought great improvement in the internal security environment, he said.

  • Girl power: Pakistan’s first all-female peacekeeping team receives UN Medal in Congo

    Girl power: Pakistan’s first all-female peacekeeping team receives UN Medal in Congo

    Members of the first-ever Pakistani Female Engagement Team (FET), which is deployed with the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), were recently awarded the UN Medal at a ceremony in Adikivu in South Kivu, one of the provinces of the central African country.

    According to APP, this team of 15 female Majors and Captains was the first ever Pakistani Female Engagement team in any UN peacekeeping mission around the world.

    Officers in the team include psychologists, stress counsellors, vocational training officers, gender advisers, doctors, nurses, operations officers, information officers and logistics officers, according to a message received at UN Headquarters in New York.

    17 more female officers will be joining the team in early February.

    UN Peacekeepers rely heavily on engaging with the local community — which feels more comfortable liaising and sharing information with military troops that include women alongside men.

    “Throughout their deployment the Pakistani female officers worked hard to win the trust of the community,” the message added.

    The Pakistani FET, according to the mission, has implemented many successful projects including vocational training, medical outreach, regular sessions of support for students, local women and teachers exposed to trauma; and psychological workshops for Congolese police personnel.

    “This team’s extraordinary endeavours to serve the UN is worthy of praise”, the press release concluded.

  • Indian fishermen go back home with good memories of Malir Jail

    Indian fishermen go back home with good memories of Malir Jail

    The government of Pakistan freed 20 Indian fishermen as a sign of goodwill from the Malir District Prison. The fishermen have returned to their homeland with nothing but good memories from Pakistan.

    Indian fisherman Gir Somnath on his release from prison said,  “We were arrested at sea by the Pakistan Coast Guard for crossing over to Pakistan waters in November 2018. At the time we prepared ourselves for the worst. But our 14 months in jail has helped clear all misconceptions about this country we used to see as our enemy earlier.”

     “Whatever we used to hear in the news about Pakistan seemed like a piece of fiction while we were in prison here,” he added.

    Speaking further, the fisherman said, “We are taking back with us good memories of Malir jail. We never felt like we were in another country here. The jail staff was nice to us. They told us that they knew that we were here due to our ill fate. We were not real criminals so they were not treating us as such while providing us with all kinds of facilities.”

    The Indian fishermen, most of whom belong to the
    Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, were handed over to the Edhi Foundation by the
    jail police. They boarded the train to Lahore from the Cantonment Railway
    Station.

    Meanwhile, 199 Indian prisoners including 189 fishermen and 10 civilians are still in jails in Pakistan.