Military solutions to conflicts are never enduring: Gen Zubair

ISLAMABAD: Expressing concern over the global decline in peace index and the impact of deterioration of peace on global economy, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Zubair Mahmood Hayat on Monday asked the world powers to focus on the unresolved Kashmir issue.

“As a military man I say that military solutions to conflicts are never enduring. There is a need for political solutions for enduring peace to prevail,” he said while addressing the inaugural session of a two-day “International Conference on Global Peace Amidst War and Conflict” as chief guest.

“In South Asia due to the volatile nature of Line of Control and Working Boundary and the unresolved Kashmir issue the whole global powers should be focused on conflict resolution,” he added.

The conference has been organized by Center for Peace, Security and Development (CPSD).
The CJCSC said at places like Syria, Palestine and Kashmir life was on hold for their people. The unresolved and frozen conflicts tended to affect the neighbouring countries.

“To defuse the growing tension and threat of military conflict there is a need to have arms control agreement between various stakeholders,” he added.

He said in Afghanistan, reconciliation and peace must be supported by all for its desired objectives. “We need to cut binding issues. Our quest for peace must be based on equality for mankind and we should find peace with pluralistic and peaceful means,” he added.

Gen Zubair said there was a need to find peace with pluralistic and peaceful means amid the consistently rising alarming and disturbing world military expenditure, particularly in Pakistan’s neighbourhood.

Stressing the need to give “cooperation over competition” a priority, he said: “We need to revitalize common values,” in the backdrop of world’s failure to limit conflicts arising from disillusionment in particular, and non-contiguous powers in promoting regional hegemons.

In a strategic environment of unshielded rising violent extremism where terrorism dominates the scene, the CJCSC recommended reexamining of the narratives, old camp model, and that advocacy be grounded in reality.

He said peace was an idealistic notion adding that it was a cessation of war and negation of violence. He, however, said mere absence of war was not peace as it (peace) was more dynamic and long term process based on universal values. He said by nature humans were non-violent and hence lasting peace in its absolute form was attainable.