Armed forces exist today to ensure wars do not take place: Pak Army chief Gen Bajwa

Pakistan's Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, currently on an official visit to the UK, on Friday said the primary reason for the armed forces to exist today is to ensure that wars do not take place.

Bajwa made the remarks while addressing the passing out parade at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) as the first-ever Pakistani chief guest.

The Pakistan Army chief expressed his gratitude for having been granted the unique honour to address the Sovereign's Day Parade at Sandhurst, and considered it proof of "the deep-rooted relationship that exists between Pakistan and the United Kingdom''.

Bajwa said the primary reason for armed forces to exist today is to ensure that wars do not take place, the Geo News reported.

''Mankind's destiny, more than ever before, hinges on our collective capacity to come together and take the route of peace and cooperation instead of conflict, communication instead of clash and multilateralism instead of self-preservation,'' he said.

Bajwa said as a direct consequence of the onset of the fourth industrial revolution, dual-use technologies and niche capabilities led by artificial intelligence are fundamentally altering the character of future war.

"The battlefield of tomorrow would be characterised by extreme precision, lethality and transparency which would be particularly challenging for military leaders, especially young officers in the battle, both mentally and physically," he said.

Bajwa also recognised the deep-rooted ties between Pakistan and the UK, expressing the hope that relations between the two countries would reach ''historic heights'' in the future, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Quoting the UK Defence Ministry, the Geo News report said Bajwa represented the Queen at the sovereign's parade for commissioning course 213 (CC213) of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) during a ceremony that attracted military leaders from dozens of countries of the world.

He was accompanied at the parade by Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Iftikhar Babar.

During his stay in the UK, Bajwa is expected to call on the British military leadership.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)