General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Vice Chief of Army Staff visited Headquarters Southern Command Quetta and troops deployed in Kohlu and Sui on Friday. During his day-long visit, Vice Chief of Army Staff met senior field commanders.
Who briefed him about security environment, operational preparedness and progress of development works being undertaken with Army's assistance. He mixed freely with young officers and men and exchanged frank views with them.
While appreciating the high spirits and firm resolve of officers and men to fight internal militant security challenges posed to Pakistan due to extremism the Vice Chief of Army Staff said that tackling these handful of extremists and misguided elements demands prudence, confidence and understanding because we were dealing with our own people.
He advised all ranks to use utmost restraint and take all possible measures to avoid collateral damage. Vice Chief of Army Staff said that Pakistan Army besides assisting the Provincial Government in maintaining law and order situation in the Province, was providing tremendous support for the development of Balochistan.
A sum of Rs 10-11 billion were being spent on development of Kohlu and Dera Bugti District alone. In addition Army has established a Balochistan School of Technical Education and is providing technical education to more than 600 youth of Balochistan presently.
Special seats have been provided to the children of Balochistan for the education in Army Public Schools, Military Colleges, Cadet Colleges, PAF School Sargodha and some other military establishments.
He said that we had relaxed merit standards for the Balochistan youth so as to encourage them to join the Army and to provide them job opportunities. He made a special mention of 28 Balochi officers who were commissioned in 115 PMA long course in April 2007.
A similar number would graduate as officers in the forth coming PMA passing out parade next week, he added. General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said that this role of Army clearly manifested a progressive national approach towards bringing the most backward and downtrodden human resource of Balochistan into main stream of Pakistan.