ISPR DG slams India’s ceasefire violations, propaganda against Pakistan
RAWALPINDI
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry slammed India for continuing propaganda against Pakistan and committing several ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) this year.
In a news conference on Tuesday, the ISPR Director General noted that Pakistan had taken United Nations observers to the LoC several times, while India had not done the same. He added that Pakistan had taken down six Indian spy quadcopters and warned that if India plans any adventure, Pakistani forces will give a strong response.
Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry also discussed the terrorism situation in Pakistan, stating that the contacts between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch insurgent organizations and foreign intelligence agencies have been proven.
He emphasized that there is no no-go area in Pakistan and highlighted the security forces’ efforts against terrorism. During the current year, security forces conducted 8,279 intelligence-based operations (IBOs), killing 1,535 terrorists.
However, 436 incidents occurred, in which 293 people were martyred, and 523 were injured. The ISPR DG revealed that the suicide attack on a mosque in Peshawar in January was carried out by the banned militant group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar on the TTP’s orders, and the attacker belonged to Afghanistan.
The masterminds of an attack on the Karachi police chief’s office were also arrested, and the terrorists had taken Rs3 million to carry out the attack. Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry highlighted that the war against terrorism in Pakistan was unprecedented and would continue until the last terrorist was eliminated.
He revealed that 137 security officials had been martyred so far this year, while 117 had been wounded. The ISPR DG emphasized that attempts to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other projects were being thwarted, and all projects were being provided complete security.
Moreover, the ISPR DG stated that 98% of the work on the 2,611-kilometre fence between Pakistan and Afghanistan had been completed, while 85% of the work on the fence on the border with Iran had been completed. He added that 65% of the area in tribal lands had been cleared of mines, and 95% of the population displaced due to terrorism had returned home. Mr Chaudhry stressed that no individual or group would be allowed to take the law into their own hands, and different social welfare programs had been announced after slashing the army’s budget.
“The journey towards permanent peace in Pakistan had begun,” said ISPR DG. “All political personalities and parties are respectable for the Pak Army. COAS Syed Asim Munir has clarified that the people are the real power of Pakistan.
The Pak Army is a national army. Some people who launched the campaign against the army are political and some have agenda of the enemy agencies. Some personal and political objectives are behind the propaganda against the army,” he declared. This was his first press conference since taking office in December. He had replaced Lieutenant General Babar Iftikhar.
