Army chief visits Karachi, lays stress on setting priorities right

KARACHI: Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday said that the country’s problems were not about non-availability of resources but not setting its priorities right, as he arrived in Karachi on a two-day visit to take stock of the situation following devastating floods.

After he arrived in the metropolis, the army chief was flown over the city for aerial reconnaissance of the urban flooding’s ground impact.

Later, he visited Karachi Corps Headquarters where he was received by Corps Commander Karachi, Lt Gen Humayun Aziz.

The army chief was briefed about the worst urban flooding in the recent history of Karachi and the Army’s support to civil administration across Sindh and Karachi.

“[Gen Bajwa] was apprised that unprecedented rains combined with decades of urban congestion, unplanned population settlement as well as infrastructural issues compounded the problem,” the ISPR said.

“No city in Pakistan can cope with a natural calamity of this scale,” the army chief said, adding: “The plans being made by the federal and provincial governments will have Army’s all-out support, as having future repercussions on the economic security of the country.”

He said that the Armed Forces of Pakistan will not disappoint the people in their hour of need.

“Peace in the national economic hub Karachi is vital for the security and stability of Pakistan. Efforts will continue to maintain normalcy in Karachi and the province,” the army chief said.