Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir recently also laid out an “ambitious” roadmap aimed at transforming Pakistan. He also pointed towards an untapped potential in the mineral sector.
“Pakistan has a rare earth treasure; with this treasure, Pakistan’s debt will also be reduced, and Pakistan will soon be counted among the most prosperous societies,” Munir stated in the interview with the Daily Jang.
According to ANI report, Munir specifically pointed to the Reko Diq mining project, predicting that from next year, the country would earn a net profit of at least two billion dollars annually from the project, with this figure increasing year by year.
Munir was quoted as expressing confidence in maintaining equilibrium between the US and China. “We will not sacrifice one friend for the other,” Munir said as quoted by the Daily Jung columnist.
Will Munir replace Zardari?
Asim Munir has said that he holds no ambitions in the political landscape of his country and that he considers himself only a servant of the state, as per a report in a Pakistani media outlet
Suhail Warraich, a columnist for the Jang media group, claimed in an article published on Saturday that the Pakistan army chief had spoken to him in person on the matter during a recent meeting in Brussels, Belgium en route after his visit to the United States.
The columnist said that Munir was reported as saying on stage at a Brussels gathering that: “God has made me protector of the country. I do not desire any position other than that.”
“I am a soldier and my greatest desire is martyrdom,” Munir said, as quoted by the Pakistan-based newspaper.
This remark by Pakistan’s Army Chief came during a time when there were persistent instances that showed that the Pakistani political system had faced military intervention, with Munir categorically rejecting such speculation.
“The talk started with politics and especially on the rumours that work is being done to change the President of Pakistan and the Prime Minister. General Asim Munir clearly said in the Brussels meeting and in the two-hour-long meeting with me that the rumours about the change are completely false,” the Saturday column by Warraich read.
Munir also stated that such claims of a leadership change in Pakistan weren’t made by either civil or military agencies but rather by elements that sought to destabilise the political order in the country.
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
