Gen Bajwa says Pakistan wants good, independent ties with US and China

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that Pakistan wanted good and independent relations with every country, including the US and China.

He said this while addressing the members of a think tank, who met him at the Pakistani ambassador’s residence in Washington on the last day of his almost week-long visit to the US.

The COAS lauded that Pakistan was not hyphenated with any other country anymore and its relations with other countries stood on their own.

Talking about the Kashmir issue, Gen Bajwa stressed early resolution of the problem, leading to better neighbourly relations with one another but the August 2019 decision of the Modi government has altered the circumstances.

The army chief was of the view that the world should engage with the Taliban in Afghanistan at some level, stressing that all stakeholders have to work together to deal with the challenges.

He dispelled the impression that the establishment in Pakistan was involved in the mistreatment of journalists or restricting freedom of the press in the country.

Speaking about domestic politics, one attendee observed that the army chief maintained a “balancing act.”