ISLAMABAD:
The army on Friday traced terrorist attacks in Pakistan to Afghan soil, saying that militant groups were being given “sanctuaries, support, and freedom” to operate unrestrained within Afghan territory.
Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the chief military spokesperson, emphasised at a news conference in Rawalpindi that Pakistan would leave no stone unturned to dismantle terrorist networks, and ensure the safety of its citizens.
“The army chief holds a clear and firm stance that Pakistan has concerns over the safe havens, facilitation, and unrestrained activities of proscribed organisations operating from the Afghan soil,” Lt-Gen Chaudhry, the director general of the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), told the news conference.
The military spokesperson said that terrorist groups based in Afghanistan were carrying out attacks in Pakistan and emphasised that “Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to dismantle terrorist networks and ensure the safety of its citizens.”
He said that for the first time ever, there was a clear and comprehensive policy on Afghanistan. He warned that status quo was no more acceptable. “Afghanistan will have to choose its bilateral relations with Pakistan over Fitna Alkhawarij,” he stressed.
This ISPR statement came amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. The Foreign Office on Thursday confirmed an intelligence-based operation against militants near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border but refrained from specifically mentioning the operation was carried out inside Afghanistan.
Earlier this week, the Afghan government summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat in Kabul to record a formal protest. Against this backdrop, the DG ISPR made it clear that Pakistan would do whatever it could to ensure security of its citizens.
During the press conference, a journalist raised a question mentioning former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s criticism of Pakistan’s Afghan policy, suggesting that issues should be resolved through dialogue.
In response, the ISPR chief stated, “Pakistan has been engaging with the Afghan interim government for the past two years, directly asking them to prevent their soil from being used for terrorism.”
Without directly naming the former government or Imran, he remarked, “When the backbone of terrorists was broken in 2021, who decided to resettle them through negotiations? We are all paying the price for those decisions.”
He added: “It is now evident who insisted in 2021 on negotiating with these militants, and Pakistan, especially Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, is bearing the consequences of that stubbornness.”
Defending the verdict of the military court in relation to the May 9, 2023 cases, Lt-Gen Chaudhry termed the violent protests by the PTI as “political terrorism,” and said that those protests, along with the 2014 attack on parliament and other government buildings, as well as the violent events of May 9, were part of a “cycle of negative politics and violence.”
Without directly naming the PTI, he referred to its protests of last month as a “November conspiracy”, which he said, were driven by a mindset of political terrorism. “November 26 riots were the November Conspiracy and it was political
He stated that the military court had completed sentencing all those involved in the riots based on evidence and testimonies, adding: “Pakistan will take its decisions independently, undeterred by any foreign pressures.”
He stated that the perspective of the armed forces on May 9 was crystal clear. “This is not just the military’s case; it is the nation’s case. If an armed or violent group tries to impose its will and thinking without being stopped according to the Constitution, where will this society be headed?” he asked.
The ISPR chief emphasised that the cases related to May 9 in anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) should also reach their logical conclusion, and the “planners and heinous characters” behind those acts must be punished.
Lt-Gen Chaudhry also said that this “negative politics” in the country was being fuelled by “fake news”. He highlighted the example of May 9 being labelled as a “false flag operation” or holding the military and other institutions responsible for it.
When asked about the court martial of former Inter-spymaster Lt-Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, he described the trial of former director general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as a true example of the army’s accountability system.
The system, he said, was “unparalleled and unique and doesn’t care for the rank and stature” while dispensing justice. “If anyone works for his own interests in army, this accountability system comes into play no matter what.”
He stressed that army had professional relationship with every government and it should not be given any political colour. “It’s positive development that political parties are engaging in talks on the issues with each other.”
During the press conference, the chief military spokesperson also addressed the country’s overall security situation, ongoing security operations, border issues, as well as answered political questions posed by journalists.
At the beginning of the news conference, he discussed the security operations conducted this year. “This year, security forces and the law-enforcement agencies [LEAs] have conducted a total of 59,775 successful intelligence-based operations [IBOs] against terrorists and their facilitators,” he said.
“During these successful operations, 925 terrorists, including members of the Khawarij faction, were killed, while hundreds were arrested.” He added that more militants were eliminated this year than in the past five years, including 73 high-value targets and 27 Afghan extremists.
During the press conference, the spokesperson also highlighted that in Balochistan, militants were “indoctrinating innocent people and using young boys and girls for armed rebellion against the state, which is a shameful act.”
He further said that 383 officers and LEA personnel were also martyred during these operations across the country.
He described the ongoing situation in ?the Kurram district as a “clear example of misplaced priorities and a case of bad governance, weak legal system and lack of interest by provincial government on administrative issues of the province. “The K-P government has to focus on resolving this issue,” he stressed.
Regarding India, the military spokesperson said, “We are fully aware of the threats posed by India on the eastern border.” He mentioned that this year, India committed 25 ceasefire violations, engaged in 564 incidents of unprovoked firing, and violated Pakistani airspace 61 times.
(With inputs from news desk)
