KARACHI: Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday has said that “Pakistan believes in peace, however, its Navi is committed to making the country’s maritime defense as impenetrable as possible.”
“We believe in peace and coexistence, but this approach must not be interpreted as weakness”, the premier said to the 25th Short Service Commission (SSC) of the Navy in Karachi.
PM Shahbaz added that Pakistan was located in a strategically important region and that its navy and other branches of the armed forces were trained to thwart the infamous formats of enemies to defend the country.
Respecting the services of the Pakistan Navy, the prime minister said that the Naval Academy was providing training to friendly countries as well, improving their forces’ abilities.
He praised the efforts of the navy for providing security to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and maintained that the government would provide all resources to the navy to strengthen it further.
“We will provide all possible assistance to the forces to promote the maritime sector as a means of economic growth,” he said.
The prime minister stated that a competent navy was the need of the hour and Pakistan believed in good relations with its neighbors.
Referring to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s dream, Shehbaz said that the Quaid wanted to see Pakistan as a role model in the world, and “we will strive to live up to his dream”.
“I hope that we will learn from our past mistakes and achieve our objectives with hard work and dedication.”
PM Shehbaz highlighted that a peaceful environment was the only solution to the development of any county.
He further expressed happiness at seeing women cadets in the passing out parade of the Naval Academy and emphasized the participation of women in every sector.
The premier is on a day-long visit to Karachi.
According to officials, PM Shehbaz would also visit Shaheed Benazirabad to offer condolences to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari on the demise of his mother.
Earlier, PM Shehbaz was received by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah upon his arrival in Karachi.
