CM Sohail Afridi\u2019s position does not allow him to propagate anti-army rhetoric, says Balochistan chief executive
\n Quetta
\nBalochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday said that there was no military operation underway in Balochistan, clarifying that only intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were being conducted in the province.
\nAddressing a press conference in Islamabad, he stated that the government\u2019s policy toward those who take up arms was clear, adding that the state remained open to those who seek forgiveness.
\nHowever, CM Bugti questioned whether the policy of reconciliation with terrorists could ever be justified. \u201cShould we allow terrorists to reach Islamabad?\u201d he asked.
\nHis remarks came a day after security forces killed 12 terrorists during an IBO in the Kalat district.
\nAccording to the Balochistan chief minister, militants from Balochistan were freed and resettled in 2018, following the same approach used for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
\n\u201cThese militants are still fighting the state today and are shedding the blood of innocent people,\u201d he said.
\nThe chief minister added that an anti-state narrative had been propagated against Pakistan, its armed forces, and the Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
\nCM Bugti remarked that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi\u2019s position did not allow him to join such a narrative, urging him to quit constant protests and instead make efforts to provide relief to the people of the province.
\nHe endorsed the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general\u2019s press conference, in which the military spokesperson described Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan as \u201cmentally ill\u201d and a \u201cnational security threat\u201d.
\nCM Bugti noted that as many as 900 terror incidents in Balochistan had claimed the lives of 280 civilians, 205 security personnel and six officers, two of whom hailed from the province.
\n\u201cThe security forces have conducted thousands of intelligence-based operations, killing 706 terrorists, who were infiltrating into Pakistan from Afghanistan to plan attacks,\u201d he said. The Balochistan chief minister stated that around 10 militants\u2019 bodies remained at the border.
\nHe emphasised that terrorists would not succeed owing to the presence of a disciplined army and its courageous leadership.
\n\u201cThose who plan attacks in the name of religion will fail,\u201d he said, while criticising political narratives that target military leadership. \u201cI do not like a fellow politician being labelled as anti-state or a security threat. But don\u2019t we need to reflect on our own attitudes?\u201d he asked.
\nCalling the fight against terrorism every citizen\u2019s responsibility, Bugti urged the nation to stand firmly with its security forces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CM Sohail Afridi\u2019s position does not allow him to propagate anti-army rhetoric, says Balochistan chief executive Quetta Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday said that there was no military operation underway in Balochistan, clarifying that only intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were being conducted in the province. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he stated that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-518690","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n