Islamabad : Pakistan Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Thursday visited Pakistani troops deployed at the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the military’s media wing said in a statement reported by Pakistan’s leading English Daily “Dawn”.
The army chief appreciated the “operational readiness and high morale” of troops during his visit to the Sarpir and Pandu sectors.
He said Pakistan Army is “fully invested in peace and stability of the region”.
“However, we are ready and resolute in defending the motherland against any misadventure,” Gen Bajwa was quoted as saying by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The army chief said the Kashmir issue continues to be a “core unresolved agenda” and reiterated his support for the right to self-determination of Kashmiris.
“We stand by the Kashmiris in their just historical stance,” he was quoted as saying.
The COAS’s statement comes days after violence across India-held Kashmir left at least 14 people dead.
The victims included six who were killed when an explosion occurred among a crowd protesting against Indian occupation.
