KARACHI, Dec 18: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said that Army Air Defence would be further equipped with the latest weaponry to meet challenges of modern era.
Speaking at the installation ceremony of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Ehsanul Haq as first Colonel-in-Chief of Army Air Defence (AAD), the President lauded the role of the AAD during war and the 10-month-long standoff with India.
He congratulated Gen Ehsan on being nominated the first Colonel-in-Chief of the AAD.
Vice-Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat, His Royal Highness Maj-General Shaikh Mohammad bin Esa Al- Khalifa, Commander of the Bahrain National Guards, Lt-General Khateer Hasan Khan and senior serving and retired officers were also present on the occasion.
Felicitating the services of Gen Ehsan, the president said he was the first officer of the ADD who had achieved the rank of a four-star general and had been elevated as the colonel-in-chief.
The president said in this modern world the AAD played an important role and the Pakistan Army had fully realized its significance.
He said he was happy to note that since AAD's restructuring that took place about 15 years back, it had been getting better with the passage of time to face challenges of modern times.
He said it was true that the AAD had made remarkable progress since its inception.
Referring to the economy of the country, the president said the economy and defence were two important pillars of the state. The economy which was in an extremely bad shape in 1999 had been put on the right tracks and efforts would continue to further improve it, he declared.
Referring to defence of the country, he said it was credible with the grace of Allah Almighty and the country did not face any threat from outside.
"We should be concerned with threat from within that is posed by the extremists. It is this threat that we should be more concerned with. Those spreading hate material and misusing the loudspeakers should be checked and we all have to play our role to eliminate hatred from society.
Earlier, the president installed Gen Ehsan as the first colonel-in-chief of the AAD by decorating badges of ranks on his shoulders.
Earlier, he visited the Corps Headquarters.
On arrival at the Corps Headquarters, accompanied by the Corps Commander Lieutenant-General Syed Athar Ali, the president was received by Chief of Staff Brig Muhammad Mansha and was introduced to the staff officers.
He was then given a detailed briefing on matters relating to operational preparedness in 5 Corps area of responsibility.
The president was also informed about the army's participation in various mega projects of Karachi and other places in the Sindh province.
The president lauded the efforts put in by the army in some mega projects of Karachi and showed his satisfaction on the pace of work.
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