Pak Army chief Asim Munir calls for shunning debate of ‘Naya’ and ‘Purana’ Pakistan

Army chief General Asim Munir on Friday urged lawmakers to focus on "our Pakistan" instead of debating over 'Naya' or 'Purana' Pakistan and extended Army's full support to them in the country's journey toward development and success.

His remarks came as the military's top brass briefed the lawmakers on the prevailing security situation, days after the county decided to launch a fresh operation against militants.

According to a National Assembly Secretariat, the agenda of the in-camera meeting was the “current issues of National Security”.

General Munir and his senior officers came to Parliament for the briefing session which was presided over by the National Assembly Speaker, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari after attending the briefing told the media that national security was the focus of the session.

No statement was issued after the briefing which was held after the top civil and military leadership last week reaffirmed their commitment to thwart terrorism threats and launch a new operation against militants following a spike in attacks by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

The Express Tribune reported that during the briefing General Munir urged lawmakers to focus on "our Pakistan" instead of on the debate over naya (new) or purana (old) Pakistan.

The term 'Naya Pakistan' was used by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan when he came to power in 2018.

"Pakistan has no dearth of resources and manpower," the Army chief said, adding the elected representatives of the people should determine the country's destination, and that the Army would fully support them in the journey towards Pakistan's development and success.

According to sources, members of the National Assembly welcomed the army chief's views by clapping.

The Army chief emphasised that the people of Pakistan are the "centre of gravity", and that the Constitution of Pakistan and the Parliament are the reflections of their opinions.

"The people express their opinion through the Constitution and the Parliament," he maintained.

The Army chief said there are no longer any no-go areas in Pakistan due to the sacrifices of soldiers.

He asserted that terrorists have no other option but to accept the state's writ.

General Munir said that the security forces are prepared to maintain peace in the country, and are conducting intelligence-based operations on a daily basis to achieve this goal.

Earlier during the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the country's law enforcement agencies including the army, rangers, and police, for their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.

"Peace was restored by the great sacrifices of our martyrs, and this hard work was wasted in four years," said the premier, in an apparent reference to the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

The demand for the briefing was made by lawmakers from the tribal region which had been badly hit by the fighting against the militants.

The TTP has become a threat to national security.

According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think-tank, January 2023 was one of the deadliest months since July 2018, as 134 people lost their lives in at least 44 militant attacks across the country.