DG ISPR lauds performance of security forces for the significant decrease in terrorist activity across the country
news desk
rawalpindi
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor said the Pakistan Army is focused on improving bilateral relations with India.
Addressing a press conference, the head of the military’s media wing regretted that the country’s eastern neighbour has not agreed on resuming dialogue with Pakistan and criticised the hardline BJP-led government for the deterioration of ties.
Referring to the recent opening of the visa-free Kartarpur corridor, Gen Ghafoor said the initiative was taken to facilitate the Sikh community and to ease their pilgrimage. He added Kartarpur will be solely a one-way transit passage and Pakistanis will not be able to use the corridor to travel to India.
“The corridor will be completed in six months,” said the army official.
Gen Ghafoor also told the media that in 2018, Indian forces have killed 55 civilians and injured more than 300 in incidents of unprovoked firing across the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary.
Security
Ghafoor said terror incidents had reduced significantly across the country in 2018.
“We pray for a day when there is no terror attack.” He added that terrorist incidents and abductions in Balochistan had reduced greatly.
Referring to the tribal districts, he said despite the area making up about three per cent of the geographic area of the country, 200,000 troops were deployed there. Ghafoor spoke of the improved law and order situation in Karachi and said the Rangers should be commended for restoring “Karachi’s lights” and claimed there were no terrorist attacks in Karachi in 2017 and only two in 2018.
A total of 44 major operations have been conducted under Raddul Fasad across the country, he said.
The general regretted that despite recovering 4.3 million units of arms and ammunition, the country had not been de-weaponised.
Addressing what he referred to as the three demands of Pashtuntun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), he informed those present that although the army had been asked to deal more strictly with the movement, as PTM was non-violent, the army did not resort to such measures.
He said while checkpoints in northern areas had been reduced from 469 to 300 as there was no assurance from Afghanistan that border threats had been eliminated, all checkpoints could not be removed. He said 43 teams were working in different districts and 44 per cent of mines had been cleared, referring to the second demand of the movement.
“We request PTM not to cross the line otherwise the state will have to take action.”
