Rawalpindi
\nDirector General ISPR, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said Pakistan army is national army and it has no political agenda and neither it supports nor it is opposed to any political party.
\n\u201cArmy has professional link with every government which is laid down in law and constitution properly, he said this while addressing a news conference here Thursday. .
\nHe held the armed forces of Pakistan are fully aware of their professional responsibilities and there will be no compromise on national security.
\nHe said it is need of the hour that we should play our individual and collective role to make Pakistan a stronger country and address the challenges effectively.
\nLieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said only a secure Pakistan can guarantee a stronger Pakistan.
\nHe said 193 brave personnel laid down their lives for the motherland in 32,173 operations carried out by the security forces during this year. He said 130 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were being spearheaded by the security forces daily. He said as many as 90 terrorists were killed in the ongoing operations to wipe out terrorism.
\nHe acknowledged the deprivations of the people of Balochistan but hastened to add that inimical forces were launching attacks to fuel the flames of militancy in the province. \u201cFew people are playing in the hands of enemies of Pakistan,\u201d he said.
\nUnderscoring the need to restore peace and stability in the restive province, he said the Pakistan Army was taking action against those who challenged the writ of the state and constitution.
\nShedding light on the case pertaining to former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general, retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, he said there was a transparent system of accountability within the armed forces of Pakistan.
\nHe said complaints against Hameed were received in the Top City scandal a few months back, adding that upon receiving information about malpractice which amounted to violation of the law and constitution, the armed forces started an inquiry in that respect.
\nSpeaking about the defence expenditure incurred by the armed forces, Sharif said the armed forces curtailed their expenses while submitting Rs360 billion taxes in the national exchequer.
\nHe also remarked that the armed forces were completely apolitical and abiding by the constitution without any political agenda. He ruled out possibility of siding with any political party, emphasising that army was a national force. \u201cIt is neither in favour of or against any political party,\u201d he said.
\nBalochistan has been in the eye of terrorism storm in the recent times. Security forces claimed to have killed 21 terrorists in a clearance operation after multiple terrorism activities that claimed lives of numerous civilians in Balochistan.
\nThe Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said terrorists attempted to conduct multiple heinous activities in Balochistan on the night between Aug 25 and 26.
\n\u201cAt the behest of inimical and hostile forces, these cowardly acts of terrorism were aimed at disrupting the peaceful environment and development of Balochistan by targeting mainly the innocent civilians, especially in Musakhel, Kalat and Lasbela districts. Resultantly, numerous innocent civilians embraced martyrdom,\u201d read the statement.
\nIn Musakhel district, terrorists stopped a bus in general area Rara Sham and maliciously targeted innocent citizens, working in Balochistan to earn their livelihood, it added.
\nSecurity forces and law-enforcement agencies immediately responded and successfully thwarted the evil design of terrorists and killed 21 in the ensuing clearance operations, ensuring security and protection of local populace.
\nHowever, during the conduct of operations, 14 troops, including 10 security forces soldiers and four personnel of law-enforcement agencies, having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom.
\nA few days later, security forces killed 12 militants in Tirah Valley of Khyber district during an intelligence-based operation, said ISPR.
\nInter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said army\u2019s stance on the May 9 protests remained unchanged and there would be continuity.
\nThe ISPR DG addressed an all-important press conference at the General Headquarters, Rawalpindi and briefed the nation on the security situation of the country.
\nStarting off his presser, he said the country and its armed forces would remain committed to highlight the Kashmir issue at the international forums.
\nAs for the May 9 episode, he said, \u201cArmy\u2019s stance on [May 9] is clear, which was conveyed in the May 7 press conference. There has been no change in that nor will there be.\u201d
\nOn the fight against terrorism, the ISPR DG disclosed that 23,622 intelligence-based operations had been conducted in the ongoing year. Of these, he said, 2,045 operations were conducted in the last 5 days, which eliminated 24 terrorists.
\nHe also said more than 100 IBOs were conducted by the army and other law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) on a daily basis.
\nHe mentioned that 139 soldiers of the Pakistani security forces embraced martyrdom during the first seven months of the ongoing year.
\n\u201cThe entire nation pays tribute to the brave martyrs and their families,\u201d the DG said.
\nThe proceedings of field court martial against Lt Gen (Retd) Faiz Hameed have been started after several incidents of violation of Pakistan army act have been proved.
\nUnder army act any person uses any person or persons who are subordinate to army act for the sake of personal or political interests and evidence in this regard are available then law will take its course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rawalpindi Director General ISPR, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said Pakistan army is national army and it has no political agenda and neither it supports nor it is opposed to any political party. \u201cArmy has professional link with every government which is laid down in law and constitution properly, he said this while addressing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406342,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-429378","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n