According to Masood Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, the success of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam depends on the South Asian nation having access to small arms and other contemporary weapons.
To eradicate terrorism from the nation, the federal government last week authorized a new operation that is a national counterterrorism effort that has been revitalized and reenergized.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has underlined that there will be no population relocation and that the move was not a large-scale military operation, allaying worries that it would negatively impact the local population in the areas that the campaign will be focused on.
Azm-e-Istehkam was initiated by Pakistan in order to combat and destroy terrorist networks. At a Wilson Center South event, Khan stated, “We need sophisticated small arms and communication equipment for that.”
At the ‘Looking Back, Looking Forward: Assessing the US-Pakistan Relationship’ conference, the ambassador emphasized that the US and Pakistan should keep investing in the “reset” of their relationship, uphold strong security ties, improve intelligence cooperation, resume sales of cutting-edge military platforms, and continue to support Pakistan’s defense equipment made in the US.
“This is crucial for regional security and opposing the rising tide of terrorism that also threatens the interests of the US and its allies,” he stated.
Even as they strive for deeper security and economic alliances, Khan emphasized that the two countries’ bilateral relations should be rooted in practical relationships. Second, the ambassador stated, “One or two issues shouldn’t hold the entire relationship hostage.”
