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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: BubbaFred who wrote (44028)	4/14/2003 7:08:41 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

What are 56th formation commanders conference at the General Headquarters in Pakistan discussing---post Iraq!! Limited agenda-- most important economy and debt, nice to see that military is worried about economy that is the key for welfare of common man who is very poor in Pakistan.. No big agenda, nice minutes...I thought that armed forces of a responsible nation should worry less about the global political matters and issue few bravado making issues politically muddier they should rather worry more aobut the cost of conflicts!.................................. <<President General Pervez Musharraf said on Monday that the armed forces would always come up to the expectations of the nation in defending the motherland as their foremost duty. He said devotion to duty and professionalism of the forces has made the defence of the country impregnable. Addressing the 56th formation commanders conference at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the president appreciated and congratulated the commanders for their efforts, which they and their command had demonstrated during the recent escalation by India. These efforts, he added, compelled the adversary to withdraw its troops from international borders without achieving any of their aims. He gave directions to the commanders on various areas of focus, which would further strengthen the resolve of the Army The formation commanders conference, the most prestigious annual event of the Army, started on Monday and it will continue for some days, beside promotion board meetings. These annual military consultations and moots are participated by corps commanders, principal staff officers, GOCs and all the concerned general officers. However, it is the first formation commanders' conference since the country has been put back on democratic course as a result of October 10 elections with bicameral parliament, provincial assemblies and local governments in place. It reflected how seriously and effectively President General Musharraf honoured the Supreme Court judgment through which it gave a three-year timeframe for holding elections. According to ISPR, after recitation from the holy Qur'aan, the president dwelt at length on various national and international issues. He gave an overview of his visits to various countries. President Musharraf briefed the participants about the prevailing geo-strategic environment and particularly with reference to its effects on Pakistan and how Pakistan handled each challenge. He said that due to unswerving faith of the armed forces in Allah, their devotion to duty and professionalism, the defence of the country was made impregnable. In the second session, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri delivered a talk on the foreign policy of Pakistan. He spoke on the improved stature of Pakistan in the world accruing from the principled stand taken by Pakistan in its support against terrorism. He stated that never in the history of Pakistan had there been such support from all across the world including the western countries, OIC and China. He stated that Pakistan's foreign policy was guided by its history, ideology, geographical location and ethos of people. Thus, Pakistan's foreign policy reflects national aspirations and is responsive to regional and international imperatives. He said Pakistan harbours no ambitions to attain regional or global power status. Our deep desire to create a peaceful and prosperous South Asian region, took President Musharraf to Agra in July 2001 with the firm resolve to seek a just settlement of all outstanding issues with India, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Intransigence of a faction of the ruling BJP unfortunately scuttled the bright chances of a comprehensive agreement, he added. Responding to a question about Indian leaders recent statements, the foreign minister said that India seemed to be disconcerted at Pakistan's prominence and wanted to exploit the situation arising out of Iraq war and undermine the indigenous Kashmiri struggle for their right to self-determination. He said that Pakistan had already warned India of grave consequences if it tried any "misadventure". The participants of the conference were also apprised of the present state of the economy and future prospects by Dr Ashfaque H Khan, Director-General Debt Office, Finance Division. He spoke in detail about the policies pursued in the last 3 years which were: stabilisation policy to reduce twin deficits (budget and current account deficits) with a view to attaining debt sustainability, wide-ranging structural reforms to remove impediments for private sector development, raising investment and growth, launched a credible and monitorable programme for poverty alleviation and transparency and consistency in policy and civil service reforms to improve governance. He said that Pakistan's economy had made significant progress during the last three years. The economy is now more stable, economic policies are transparent and predicable and confidence of the private sector is restored to larger extent, he added. Dr Ashfaque further said that expatriate Pakistanis were bringing their capital back, stock market was buoyant and external balance of payments was in comfortable position. Speaking about foreign exchange reserves, he said that these reserves have crossed $ 10 billion and are sufficient to finance 11 months of imports. He said exchange rate is stable, inflation is low and interest rates are declining and domestic and external debts have also declined. He said that the fiscal deficit had been lowered and current account balance was in surplus, tax collection was growing, exports had picked up and lastly, Pakistan's credit rating in international capital markets had improved. Dr Ashfaque in his concluding remarks informed the senior army commanders that Pakistan had been the most profitable stock market in the world. The meeting will continue on Tuesday. jang.com.pk >>