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Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif on Tuesday said that any dialogue with the PTI can happen only if it “earnestly apologises in front of the nation” and promises to adopt “constructive politics” and forgoes “politics of anarchy”.
The DG ISPR made the remarks in a lengthy press conference in Rawalpindi just two days before May 9 — a day that holds significant importance in the country’s political landscape as it was on this day last year when military installations came under attack following PTI founder Imran Khan’s arrest, which formed the basis of a severe state crackdown against him and his party.
In the question and answer sessions, Gen Sharif was asked if there was a possibility of any dialogue with the PTI.
“If some political mindset, leader or clique attacks its own army, causes rifts between the army and its people, insults the nation’s martyrs and issues threats and hatches propagandas, then there can be no dialogues with them,” he replied.
“There is only one way back for such political anarchists that it asks for an earnest pardon in front of the nation and promises that it will forgo politics of hate and adopt constructive [style of] politics.
“In any case, such dialogues should take place between political parties. It is not appropriate for the army to be involved.”
Earlier in the session, Gen Sharif was also asked about May 9, to which he said: “Firstly, May 9 is not just the Pak Army’s case but the entire country.
“If, in any country, an attack is launched on its army, symbols of its martyrs are insulted, its founder’s house is set on fire, hatred is created between its army and public, and if the people behind it are not brought to justice, then there is a question mark on that country’s justice system.
“We believe that if we have to maintain trust in the justice system of Pakistan, then May 9 perpetrators — both the doers and those commanding them — must be sentenced according to the Constitution and the law.
“Nothing is hidden about May 9. The public and the army and we all have irrefutable evidence. All of us saw this incident unfolding, we all saw how everyone was [brainwashed] against the army, its leadership, agencies, institutions through lies and propaganda.”
The army official said that on May 9, “some political leaders” issued orders to their supporters to selectively target military installations.
“When this became public, another lie and propaganda was created that this was a ‘false flag operation’ and ‘we do not know what happened or who did it’.
“For such people, it is said: ’you can fool all the people some of the times, some of the people all the times but you cannot fool all the people all the times.
“The question is: has this happened for the first time in the world? Incidents of lesser degree have been done in the past so what do other countries do?
“In August 2011, London riots took place, and after that the criminal court system came into action. They even punished children under the age of 18.
“In Capitol Hill riots […], there was no judicial commission. The people were identified and sentenced strictly. On June 27, 2023, Paris riots happened and their judicial system immediately came into action.
“I have given the examples that our elite does not get tired of quoting. [The punishments were given] so that such an incident was not repeated, so that such cliques, with incitement and specific political and poisonous aims, do not get the chance to attack the state whenever they want.”
Regarding the PTI’s demand that a judicial commission be created to ascertain the facts of the May 9 riots, the DG ISPR said: “Fine, we are ready, make a judicial commission but if you have to, then go to the root of this entire incident.
The judicial commission should also determine what the goals of the 2014 dharna (sit-in) were and how the Parliament was attacked. It should also look into the PTV attack that how people were encouraged to stand against the state, indulge in civil disobedience, burn utility bills.“
The Commission, the army spokesperson said, should also investigate “how Islamabad was attacked in 2016 with KP’s federal resources, and then again in 2022.”
“It must also see how letters were written to the IMF and lobbying was conducted abroad so that Pakistan would not be given loans and fall into a state of default.”
The DG ISPR said that the judicial body, if formed, should probe the source and target of the funding of such campaigns as well as those who spread hate against state institutions on social media.
“If a specific political clique continues doing these things with impunity, then one day it will go against its own army,” he warned.
“When it continues to lie, and you don’t speak the truth in front of its lies, then there will be deceit and propaganda of every kind.”
He said the “real proud public of Pakistan” distanced itself from May 9 and refused to become a part of it.
‘Plot to kill Chinese engineers in Pakistan hatched in Afghanistan’
The DG ISPR started the press briefing by addressing the tensions with Afghanistan and attacks mounted by terrorists from its soil into Pakistan.
He said the plot that killed five Chinese engineers in an attack on a convoy in Bisham tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla on March 26 was hatched in Afghanistan.
“A sad incident took place on March 26 in Bisham where a suicide bomber targeted a car of Chinese engineers working on Dasu dam, as a result of which, five Chinese citizens and a Pakistan got killed.
“This suicide bombing also connects to across the border [in Afghanistan]; the planning of this terrorism [act] was done in Afghanistan. Terrorists and their facilitators were also being controlled from Afghanistan and the suicide bomber was also an Afghan [national].”
Gen Sharif said the army strongly condemned “this ugly game of terrorism” and is “taking all necessary actions to bring its facilitators to justice.”
TTP attacks from Afghan soil continue despite repeated complaints to Kabul
He said that in the war on terrorism, Pakistan’s soldiers, workers and law enforcement agencies have been martyred in huge numbers. “Everyone knows that Pakistan tried its best for peace in region and especially in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s role has been the most vital for peace in the region.
“Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees for a long time and has helped Afghan refugees more than other country, which the world has also recognised.”
Gen Sharif said that despite all the efforts by Pakistan and despite pointing it out to the Afghan interim government on state level, “TTP terrorists are continuously committing acts of terrorism in Pakistan.”
He said that Pakistan presented “concrete evidence but no positive progress” can be seen yet.
The Pak Army spokesperson said that links of recent terrorism “extend to terror hideouts in Afghanistan”.
He recalled that Pakistan had helped Afghanistan and reminded that one of the pledges made by the interim government in Kabul was to not let Afghan soil be used for any terror acts.
“But there is concrete evidence that TTP terrorists are still using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan,” Gen Sharif said. “In this regard, the FO has registered 12 protests and the army chief has taken a clear stance that Pakistan has its reservations on hideouts of banned outfits [in Afghanistan].
“Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to eradicate terror networks and provide protection to its citizens at all costs.”
He said that the purpose of the armed forces “is to establish peace in the country”. To ensure this, he said, “we will go to every extent to suppress the terrorists and their patrons and enablers.”
The DG ISPR said that terrorists and their enablers “have been busy in attempting to worsen” the law and order situation in KP and Balochistan.
“In January 2024, BLA terrorists attacked Mach FC camp, which the security forces thwarted with bravery. In this attack, four soldiers, including two policemen embraced martyrdom while 24 terrorists were sent to hell,” he recalled.
On March 16, 2024, a South Waziristan checkpost was attacked, and as a result, seven soldiers, including Lt Colonel Kashif and Captain Ahmed, embraced martyrdom while six terrorists were sent to hell.“
In response, he said, Pakistan carried out counter attacks in Afghanistan’s border areas and targeted the safe havens of terrorists, in which eight terrorists were killed, who were involved in numerous terror acts in Pakistan.
He said that on March 25, another soldier embraced martyrdom in a terror attack in Turbat while four terrorists were eliminated.
He said that a terrorist named Habibullah s/o Khan Mohammad, who was captured in an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Pishin district on April 23, admitted to committing terror acts in Pakistan.
The DG ISPR said that so far in 2024 the security forces have collectively conducted 13,135 small and major IBOs against terrorists and their facilitators, during which “249 terrorists were sent to hell while 396 were arrested”.
“The Pak Army, police, intelligence agencies and other LEAs are carrying out more than 100 operations on a daily basis against terrorism.”
He said that during the operations in the ongoing year by Pakistani forcers, two of its officers and 60 soldiers have embraced martyrdom.
Regarding India, he said that the country’s top civil and army leadership was aware of “multiple threats” from India on the eastern border and that planning was underway to “divert attention from its internal violence like always”.
“In the current year, there have been multiple violations of ceasefire by India on a small scale, which include 120 incidents of speculative fire, 15 airspace violations and 59 technical air violations,” he said.
“The Indian army is targeting innocent citizens in AJK on LOC but the Pakistan Army has given a befitting response and will keep on doing so. We are ready to defend our sovereignty at all times and at all costs.”
Repatriation of illegal Afghan nationals in larger interest of Pakistan
The DG ISPR spoke about the drive to repatriate illegal Afghans back to their own country.
“The decision to send back foreign citizens residing in Pakistan illegally was made by the government of Pakistan in the larger benefit of the country,” he said.
“There was [added] burden on the country’s economy, while the law and order situation in the country was also deteriorating. In no country of the world, illegal immigrants are allowed to roam freely.
“So far, 563,639 illegal Afghan citizens have been returned to their countries, yet hundreds of thousands are still living in Pakistan.”