Either in Pakistan or abroad, 'digital terrorists' to face law: DG ISPR

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said the elements involved in “digital terrorism” and spreading propaganda to drive a wedge between armed forces and masses will face the law. 

He stated this while addressing a press conference at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi to brief the media about the country's security situation.

“First of all, the first line of defence against digital terrorism is the law. Unfortunately, falsehood and propaganda are very high on social media such as fake news and doctored images are posted to create confusion created in the minds of the people,” the chief military spokesperson said.

“The law is not taking its course against it, but the armed forces take it very seriously,” he said adding that legal action will be taken against those — either in Pakistan or abroad — involved in running propaganda against the military.

The DG ISPR stressed that the military’s stance on May 9 violent protests remains unchanged that those involved in the riots must be brought to book.

“Army’s stance on [May 9] is clear, which was conveyed in the May 7 [2024] press conference. There has been no change in that nor there will be,” he said while briefing the media on the country's security situation at Rawalpindi's General Headquarters (GHQ).

Riots broke out in many parts of the country, especially in the garrison town, with charged mobs vandalising private and public properties including military installations following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9.

In a press conference after one year anniversary of the violent protests, the DG ISPR had said that the perpetrators and facilitators of the May 9 riots need to be punished as per the Constitution and law to preserve the credibility and faith in the country’s justice system.

Briefing on the anti-terror efforts today, the military’s spokesperson revealed that so far, 23,622 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) have been conducted in the ongoing year — of which 2,045 operations were conducted in the last 15 days which resulted in the elimination of 24 terrorists.

He also said that over 100 IBOs are conducted by the army and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) on a daily basis.

Recalling last week's government's notification which declared the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as "Fitna al-Khawarij," Lt Gen Chaudhry said that the militant organisation had nothing to do with Islam.

"The armed forces are especially focused on the merged districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," DG ISPR said, adding that the war against terrorism will continue till the last militant is eliminated.

Contribution to education, other sectors

Continuing on the military's contribution to the education sector, the army spokesperson termed it as a fundamental element of a country's development.

"Digital education is also being provided to the youth," he said, emphasising that the Balochistan students are the country's future and a scholarship program has been started for them.

Lt Gen Chaudhry said they are also bearing other expenses of the Balochistan students apart from their studies.

"About 92 schools are being run in Balochistan for better education and 19,000 are getting education from there," he added. Moreover, the army has also established 171 schools and three cadet colleges in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

"Pakistan Army set up medical camps in various districts where free treatment was provided," he said, adding that local and foreign companies are working on many projects in the merged districts.

The DG ISPR said that education, health and provision of clean water in Balochistan are the top priority of the Pakistan Army.

He highlighted that with the help of the army, important projects of roads and bridges in Balochistan were completed. Moreover, he said, a project focused on processing dates was planned in Panjgur with the UAE’s support. 

Army reiterates support for Kashmiris

On the occasion of Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir — marking the revocation of Article 370 and 35-A of the Indian Constitution to change the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir's (IIOJK) political and constitutional status five years ago — Lt Gen Chaudhry said that the Pakistan Army stands with the people of the IIOJK.

"We are aware of the inhuman lockdown, illegal ways to change the region's demographics and human rights violations that are a defiance of international law and are a danger to the region."

To bring peace to the region, it is inevitable to resolve the Kashmir issue as per the UN resolutions and in line with the hopes of the Kashmiri people, he said.

On this day, he said, the Pakistan Army pays tribute to the sacrifices of the martyrs of the IIOJK and also stands with the efforts of the Kashmiri people against injustice.

'Army knows who is behind foreign propaganda'

Responding to a question about the US resolution, the top military spokesman said that the army knows "who is running this campaign, who is facilitating it and under what motives".

"We also know who are the state and non-state elements proliferating this campaign," he added.

He went on to say that since January 2024, according to an estimate, 127 articles have been written, in foreign print media alone, which were aimed at spreading hopelessness and anarchy in Pakistan and promoting a specific political agenda. "Those actively working to spread propaganda on social media are apart from that."

The DG ISPR further said that there is a whole coordinated mindset behind the political lobbying, meetings and protests outside embassies.

A lot of money, he said, is being invested to hire lobbying firms, create a narrative of hopelessness and anarchy and raise a specific political propaganda.

"All of this effort is done intellectually in a coordinated manner and with monetary investment. I believe they should have made this effort and raised a narrative against the genocide in Gaza and Palestine. They should have made a narrative that it has been 70 years of independence but our brothers and sisters are being exploited in Kashmir, a one million-strong army is there in IIOJK, who is harassing elderly people and children alike."

Lt Gen Chaudhary said that if these elements have so much money, coordination and access, then they should work hard on creating a narrative of rising Pakistan, its potential and its status.

"But no, the narrative is being carved out that Pakistan should not be supported financially."

He added that the people, institutions and elements who are silent on the genocide in Gaza are being asked to raise a voice on human rights violations in Pakistan.

"I ask you where is this money coming from? A hefty amount is being invested in all of this. Do you think all this money is being invested voluntarily, and there is no coordination behind it? If yes then you are being a bit too naive."

He said the foreign sponsors behind the propaganda would demand a price for this. "And that price is anarchy in Pakistan because it benefits them."

Lt Gen Chaudhary further said that not only the armed forces but everyone knows these people with political ambitions, who wish to create anarchy in the country on the back of foreign elements.

"We are and will stay standing against them," he said.

'Baloch uprisings are nothing but proxies of terror outfits'

On a question about the situation in Gwadar and “the absence" of the government’s writ, the DG ISPR told the journalists to go the Balochistan's port city and see themselves that the writ of the government is there and there is no doubt in it.

“The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and its so-called leadership is a proxy of terrorists and criminal mafia, whose task is to defame and create propaganda against the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and agencies working against terrorism, criminal mafias, illegal spectrums, smugglers and extortionists, and to make the development projects in Balochistan controversial.

"The modus operandi for this is gathering a group of people with the help of foreign investment and narrative and provoking the innocent citizens on it, challenging the government’s writ, pelting stones, vandalising and making unreasonable demands. And when the state responds to it, acting like innocents."

He said that after this, those with a foreign agenda behind them start speaking in their favour in the name of human rights and other constants they have made up.

"All of this is the spectacle that you’ve seen in Gwadar in the past few days,” referring to the BYC protests in the coastal town of Balochistan.

He said that the government in Balochistan allows them to stage peaceful protests, and constructive criticism but not to block the roads. It allows them to gather in the agreed place, hold talks, protests or even sit-ins but they say "No, we want to block the roads and damage the developmental projects".

He said that the charged mobs engaged in arson, attacked their own Frontier Corps and martyred the Sibbi’s Sipahi Shabbir Baloch.

"However, the LEAs showed patience and restraint in managing them and didn’t give them the dead bodies and blood that they had come to take. And so the proxy under the Raji Muchi was exposed," said Gen Chaudhry, reiterating that these campaigns are nothing more than the proxies of terrorist organisations and criminal mafia.