Pakistan was always there for Sri Lanka: Gen. Kayani
Says arms race with Inida not option for Pakistan
By Yasasmin Kaviratne ( From "Sunday Times" dated Jan.23,2011 of Colombo )
Pakistan stood by Sri Lanka at a time of crisis and that will be the foundation of a new friendship and it will be etched in the memories of the people of the two nations, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army said.
Addressing the student officers of Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) at Sapugaskanda on Friday, the visiting Army chief said be it weapons or training for military personnel, Pakistan always came forward to help Sri Lanka.
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani addressing student officers at DSCSC. Pic by Sanka Vidanagama
He was here on a three day visit which ended on Friday. General Kayani said although the war against the LTTE has been won, the battle is still on as it will be won only when ex combatants are reintegrated into society. He added that a lot could be learnt from the expertise of the Sri Lankan army in fighting terrorism.
He said terrorism could be created by growing radicalism. “In the case of Sri Lanka, it grew in terms of ethnicity. But usually in South Asia radicalism grows in terms of religion,” he said adding that people are more sensitive when it comes to religion than ethnicity and that’s the situation Pakistan was facing presently.
Commenting on the relations with its neighbour country India, he said, “An arms race with India is not an option for Pakistan,” adding that the defence budget of India is nine or ten times bigger than Pakistan’s. But he said that he stands by the fact that he is India-centric as Pakistan has some unresolved issues and a history of conflicts with its neighbour.
He elaborated that there should be a right balance between defence and development and that was the way forward for the South Asia region. “Strategic stability means having stable and secure neighbours as it enhances security and peace within the country. An arms race is not an option for South Asia,” he said.
Commenting on Afghanistan and President Obama’s change in strategy to pull out of Afghanistan in 2014 instead of 2011, the General said that the question is how things are going to shape up by 2014 as no one has a clear idea of how things would turn out.
He added that what happens in Afghanistan is important to Pakistan not only because it shares a long border but because there are many tribal villages in the border for whom these don’t mater much.Moreover, he said, if Afghanistan is secure, then many border and security issues that Pakistan faces too could be solved. “One cannot isolate Afghanistan from Pakistan,” he emphasized.
The Defence College Commandant, Major General Jagath Rambukpotha, welcoming Army chief said when Sri Lanka sought Pakistan’s assistance during the war the Pakistan General’s answer was, “We are coming to help. Don’t worry, we are coming”.
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8 comments:
just explain what stretegic analysis do you have for barkha dutt ignoring radia's attempt to influence cabinet formation, your writing shows how subjective your analysis is and how ill equipped you are that cannot see the integrity issue and culpability she has if radia has found guilty of wrongdoing and possible role of barka dutt in that needs to be probed through third party investigating agency
just explain what stretegic analysis do you have for barkha dutt ignoring radia's attempt to influence cabinet formation, your writing shows how subjective your analysis is and how ill equipped you are that cannot see the integrity issue and culpability she has if radia has found guilty of wrongdoing and possible role of barka dutt in that needs to be probed through third party investigating agency
what this fu*@#ng MF EU guys have to do with binayak sen case? why these as*#+les are allowed to attend court session? who are these jerks to 'OBSERVE' the bail hearing? when these jerks will come out of their sick white superiority complex? its sickening. gaand pe laath maaro aur chalta karo.
But..Ambi - The observers might force the Govt to provide some semblance of justice to Sen,who prima facie is being hounded primarily for his views.
Reflex reaction to 'white' observers only betrays a sense of inferiority.Why not allow them to come here,observe,report? Then pick out any valid comments they might make..and improve our system.
Tomorrow when they 'allege' ethnic cleansing in Kosovo,we can then send our group of observers on a reciprocal basis.
dear esoteric, regards and thanks for replying to my comment. but really its our internal matter. binayak sen case is no way related to EU. neither he is EU citizen, nor he has asked for EU help. why dont these guys mind their own business?
we have our own institutions and our own pressure groups to give justice, like it happened with jessica lall case. i have no problem with westerners coming n supporting binayak sen as ordinary citizens, but coming as representatives of EU, means more then support.
n about kosovo, india is not kosovo. i am really surprised n furious that how they were permitted for this?
You have merely reproduced what Kayani said. Where is your expert analysis?Is sri Lanka bonding with Pakistan at India's cost? Please enlighten sir.
yes! I thought that Sri B Raman,an erstwhile Addl. Secretary to GOI and stated to be an expert in South Asian affairs would give some insight into the relations between Sri Lanka and Pakistan and its fallout on India particularly Tamil ethnic problems in Sri Lanka.In stead,he simply reproduces something which appeared in Daily newspapers like 'The Hindu'. If this is how the Senior officers function/functioned in GOI and their knowledge about the Geo- political happenings around us, We can be rest assured that no one need any body to mess up things and we will surely bring our own downfall without any foreign enemies.That is why our country is facing a lot problemsin all spheres be that foreign affairs,commercial relations or development with in India.The Civil servants are not development oriented and they just mug up and clear the UPSC. After clearing UPSC and got a service, they simply refuse to learn anything and push the files. They never understands the problems of masses. If you are really interested in knowing the problems, you just go to any Metro like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkatta,Chennai or for that matter any place in India, you will be able to understand how difficult it is to lead a days's life.I expected a more analytical blog from shri B Raman and not a reproduction of a newspaper article.
-Malaikolundu Kuppuswamy
Chennai.
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