On Friday, the military’s media wing stated that former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa‘s statement on “combat worthiness” was “quoted out of context.”
The statement was issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) following media discussions on the “Pakistan Army’s combat worthiness in light of the condition of certain weapon systems on its inventory.”
Bajwa’s statement on combat worthiness against India misquoted, says ISPR.
“To this end, views of former army chief on the future threat to Pakistan, which he shared with media persons in an off-the-record interactive session, have been quoted out of the context,” said the ISPR.
The military’s media wing assured the people that the army will always take pride in its “operational preparedness and utmost combat worthiness”.
“Pakistan’s Armed Forces always did and will continue to keep their weapons, equipment and battle-hardened human resource ever ready for the defence of the motherland,” said the ISPR.
The statement comes after journalist Hamid Mir claimed on a TV broadcast that at a meeting with 20-25 journalists, General (retd) Bajwa stated that Pakistan was not in a position to conduct a war with India.
Mir’s statement was taken up by Indian media and widely covered.
TheInter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) is the media and PR wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It broadcasts and coordinates military news and information to the country’s civilian media and the civic society.
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