Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Wednesday that it was his decision to promote Army chief Gen Asim Munir to the rank of field marshal for his role in the recent conflict with India.
The decision to promote Gen Munir was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz on Tuesday.
Munir is the first army general since General Ayub Khan to be elevated to the highest military rank in Pakistan. General Khan was conferred the rank of Field Marshal in 1959.
During a conversation with senior journalists, the prime minister said that he does consult his elder brother and PML-N President Nawaz Sharif on such crucial decisions.
PM Shehbaz asserted that war only results in one party’s victory and the other’s loss, and therefore, cannot be a permanent solution. “Only lasting peace can guarantee a secure future.”
Regarding talks between Islamabad and New Delhi, the premier said that whenever discussions on terrorism take place, they will be held by the national security advisers of both countries.
He clarified that India has so far not agreed to engage in talks with a third country. “During the war, Israel extensively supported India,” he claimed, adding that Israeli weapons were used by Indian forces in Srinagar and other locations.
The prime minister also said that Pakistan will raise four key points in any future dialogue with India: Kashmir, water, trade, and terrorism. He suggested that holding talks in a third country could be a good decision.
Armed forces, in response to India’s unprovoked attacks on multiple Pakistani cities during the night of May 6 and 7, launched a large-scale retaliatory military action, named “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”, and targeted several Indian military targets across multiple regions on May 10.
Pakistan downed its six fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
A total of 53 individuals, including 13 personnel of the armed forces and 40 civilians, were martyred in Indian strikes during the recent military confrontation.
The military confrontation between the two countries was triggered by last month’s attack in IIOJK that left 26 tourists dead, with India blaming Pakistan for the attack without offering any evidence.
