Ready to pay any price to safeguard Pakistan's interests, says Gen. Sharif

Addressing the 103rd passing out parade at the Pakistan Naval Academy, PNS Rahbar here on Saturday, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Raheel Sharif, said the armed forces were ready to pay any price to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the nation.

Maintaining that every effort would be made to counter and neutralise all forms of terrorist activity across Pakistan, General Sharif said the entire world endorses Pakistan's security concerns with regard toceasefire violations and bloodshed in the Federally Administered tribal areas.

The army chief said Pakistan is reacdy to cooperate with other countries, but would not compromise on national security and self-respect.

According to a series of tweets posted by Major General Asim Bajwa, the head of the ISPR, General Sharif said "We are ready to pay any price to protect our nationhood and safeguard Pakistan's interests, be it Kashmir, development of new ports or exploitation of natural resources."

General Sharif also said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), with the Gwadar Port as its catalyst, will be built and developed as one of the most strategic deep sea ports in the region at any cost.

He said the CPEC holds enormous potential for transforming the lives of people in the region, and the armed forces are acutely aware of enemy campaigns to scrap this project, but will defeat all designs against it.

The 3000-kilometer-long CPEC, which was announced during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pakistan, is a network of roads, railways and pipelines linking China's restive west to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan, will pass through Pakistan's poor Baluchistan province.