Full text of Army Chief’s speech at Pakistan Military Academy

‘Bismillah Irrahman Nirraheem”

Major General Muhammad Ali - Commandant Pakistan Military Academy, General Officers, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Faculty Members, Ladies and Gentlemen and my very dear Graduating Cadets

Assalam-o-Alaikum & Good Morning!

It is my great honour and pleasure to witness this Passing-out Parade as its Reviewing Officer. In the first place,

I would like to congratulate you, on the most memorable day of your life, the day when you join the officer’s corps of Pakistan Army. I also take this opportunity to convey my heartiest felicitations to your proud parents as well

In this Parade, we also have cadets from the Allied countries who have earned their well-deserved commission today. I also extend my heartiest felicitations to these cadets and wish them all the success for their future endeavours

And my compliments to the Commandant PMA and his team for a job very well done

My Dear Cadets!

Today, indeed, marks the most cherished moment in your life. You have proved yourselves worthy of a noble, yet a very demanding profession. You deserve utmost appreciation and admiration for your impressive performance

Today is the start of your careers in one of the most distinguished and battle-hardened Army of the World. The Army which not only defeated the scourge of terrorism but also gave a bloody nose to a five times bigger army in February 2019

Please remember, that your training so far was focused on transforming the raw youth into a gentleman or a lady. But from now onwards, the actual period of professional training starts, along with honing of your leadership skills - You will hit the ground running and will soon be testing your mettle with the best of the bests

My Dear Cadets!

Let me introduce you, to the great Army that you will be joining in a matter of days. Pakistan Army is a true reflection of the proud Nation that you represent. From the all volunteer induction, to the ratio of each province represented in your rank and file; from Madrassah to Public School background; from the son of a humble worker to the son of an affluent person and even more importantly the ward of a Shaheed; you are a true microcosm of Pakistan. Please bear in mind as you pass out, that very soon you will own the successes and failures of this great nation and the Army, many of which occurred long before you were born. You will also be held accountable towards the well-being, security and prosperity of Pakistan, long after you fade away from service and even life.

This is a unique burden of love, and responsibility that the nation has put on your shoulders, whereas, none other is asked to be accountable for anyone, other than his or her own self. I count it as a great honour that we stand before the nation as a trusted and accountable institution. Therefore, regardless of our failings and triumphs, we stand to give our best, whenever we are called upon to do so

Pakistan is a developing country but our people have big hearts. They will always respect & honour you, even in your time of test and trial. You have to maintain their sacred trust with unflinching commitment and total loyalty

This relationship has been sealed and secured with countless night vigils, toil and hardships and above all, the sweat of our Ghazies and the blood of our shaheeds. It’s now your duty to honour and protect it

You must strive to remain disciplined, dutiful and above board. You will be required to live your youthful years in frugality and hardship. Consider it, not as a challenge and not as a punishment. Ours is the path less travelled. In this path, you first commit and deliver before you are rewarded

Dear Cadets!

We are in a situation which is termed by our enemy as ‘No Peace, No War’. In fact, we have snatched the peace from the jaws of war and we will protect it with our lives

At the same time, you must realize that peace is not an end in itself. Our decades of efforts will be wasted if we are unable to protect the base from where our nation will rise to the heights of economic sovereignty and ideological maturity thus truly becoming Quaid’s Pakistan

Like many countries in the past, we have also subjected to wars, terrorism and economic strangulation that has broken many countries, but Alhamdulliah! we have survived. Now, it is only through the synergy and actualization of our true national potential that we shall rise and progress

That is why we have put our heart and soul in achieving stability by keeping Quaid’s vision of “peace within and peace without” as our motto. The journey has been tough but we have stayed the course. It gives me great satisfaction to see various institutions of Pakistan gaining strength, not only standing without our support but rather, supporting us and at times, surpassing us in the service of the nation.

My Dear Cadets!

The enemies who plotted our doom and destruction are watching us with disdain. Having failed and feeling frustrated, they have now subjected us to a 24/7 hybrid war. This war is not fought in the battlefields but in the minds. In previous wars, soldiers were taking the brunt on the frontline; in this new war, however, leadership at all levels is the target. It is a huge challenge that you will be confronted with from day one. Please keep in mind that not only you have to discern light from the darkness, but also protect your men from sedition. The best way to do it, is to just follow the SOPs, traditions and time tested ethos of the Army. Remember, we are all soldiers of Pakistan regardless of our caste, creed, sect and ethnicity and we will always stand together as one, as this is our strength

The objective of hybrid war is to target the sense of hope in Pakistan and to perpetuate the perception of “Yahan Kuch Acha Nahi ho Sakta”. Let me tell you, “Yahan Sub Acha Hoga”. We Pakistanis always find a way, and that we will “InshaAllah”

But do not confuse sincere critique from Hybrid war. Most voices that might seem loud to you, come from a place of love, patriotism and trust and therefore must be heeded. We must listen to our people and apply corrections where needed. These voices are proof that we are alive and well as a nation, that is moving in the right direction. Our strength is our strong bond with our people, the constitution of our country, democracy and the democratic values that our people follow and therefore we shall defend this bond and our democratic values to the hilt

My Dear Cadets!

Our actions are guided by the Constitution and the national interest of Pakistan. You will appreciate that today Pakistan is, Alhamdullilah, secure from a military point of view. We continue to support the Government, whenever asked to, as per the law and guidelines of the constitution. We Pakistanis, have proved that we can do wonders when we keep national interest above our parochial, institutional and personal interests. Our fight against, terrorism, COVID, floods and our response to Locust threat is a testimony to both our capacity to work and deliver

These are important undertakings and Pakistan Army is proud to support the Nation as it has always supported us especially when we were fighting the physical enemies of Pakistan. It is my prayer and wish that tomorrow when one of you stands at my place, you stand as the military leader of a Pakistan that has arrived at its rightful place as a happy and prosperous homeland where Muslims of South Asia will have finally found their panacea of a modern Islamic state but also, where all minorities are equally happy and are considered valuable citizens - and where all institutions stand equally robust and capable in service of the nation

You are being asked to stand firm in very difficult times but stand you must. We must not be complacent so close to the finish line

In the end, I once again congratulate you on this memorable day in your lives. At the same time, I offer my felicitations to your proud parents who are part of this momentous ceremony, which I am sure, is a matter of great delight and Pride for them

May Almighty ALLAH always guide you on the right path, and grant you strength and wisdom to serve the country with honour, dignity and responsibility, Ameen!

I Thank you all

Pakistan Army Zindabad

Pakistan Paindabad