US military magazine heaps praise on COAS Gen Asim Munir

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) magazine Unipath lauded the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir as a “forceful voice against violent extremists.”

The magazine stated that the General will be remembered as a leader whose foremost commitment resides in the security, stability and prosperity of Pakistan.

The article highlighted Gen Asim’s role in counterterrorism efforts, including his stance on fifth-generation warfare and capability to respond to foreign aggression, as well as socioeconomic measures.

“Gen. Asim Munir has taken decisive action against Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP) within Pakistan, known as Fitna al Khawarij. Under his leadership, through July 2024, 22,409 intelligence-based operations have been conducted against terrorists and their facilitators. They eliminated 398 terrorists, including 31 high-value targets,” the article stated.

It also quoted Gen Asim’s speech to a jirga in Peshawar on August 7, 2023, in which the Gen remarked: “There is no option for these terrorists except to submit to the writ of the state of Pakistan before they are decimated if they persist on their wrong path.”

It also mentioned that the Pakistan Army, under Gen Asim’s leadership, is fully prepared to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the motherland.

The Unipath magazine article highlighted how Pakistan’s “sovereignty was challenged on January 16, 2024, when Iran carried out a series of missile and drone strikes within Pakistan’s Balochistan province resulting in the deaths of two innocent children.”

“To express its resolve and redeem its stature, on January 18, Pakistan conducted a meticulously planned and precisely targeted series of military strikes based on credible intelligence against terrorist hideouts in the Sistan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran. This operation, codenamed Marg Bar Sarmachar, resulted in the elimination of several terrorists,” stated the magazine.

It also applauded the Chief’s role in trying to improve the economic conditions of the country through the initiative of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the Green Pakistan Initiative for job creation and economic development.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, over 60 democratic lawmakers of the United States House of Representatives called on US President Joe Biden in a letter to use Washington’s leverage with Pakistan to secure the release of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan.

“We write today to urge you to use the United States’ substantial leverage with Pakistan’s government to secure the release of political prisoners, including former Prime Minister Khan, and curtail widespread human rights abuses,” the letter read.

PTI leader Qasim Khan Suri has been actively campaigning to engage with US lawmakers as he took to X to post: “Thank you, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, Congresswoman Cori Bush, for supporting human rights & democracy in Pakistan and calling for the release of political prisoners including former Prime Minister Imran Khan.”