Govt-army ties apolitical, constitutional, says ISPR

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Army Tuesday said the input given by the defence ministry to the Supreme Court and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the availability of troops for election security was based on ground realities and active and prevailing facts.

“The Ministry of Defence has already provided an input in this regard which is based on ground realities and active and prevailing facts,” said Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), while responding to a question at his news briefing here. Maj. Gen. Sharif was asked whether troops were available to provide security for the May 14 elections in Punjab in the prevailing security situation in the country.

Prior to the questions and answer session, Maj. Gen. Sharif said since January this year, the army, police and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) had conducted 8,269 small and big intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the country in which 1,535 terrorists were killed or apprehended. He said 137 officers and jawans of the army were also martyred in these operations.

Maj. Gen. Sharif reminded the questioner that the federal government requires the armed forces to aid civil authorities under Article 245 of the Constitution whether it pertains to security for elections, polio vaccination or rescue and operations following national calamities.

To another question, he made it clear that the army had no tilt towards any political side saying it was a national army and did not support the ideology or thoughts of any particular political party. He said the people also wanted the army and the institution itself that should not side with any political party. “The political forces should also support us in our resolve,” he said, adding that a country where armed forces support any political side faces anarchy and unrest.

However, Maj. Gen. Sharif said relations between the institution and sitting government were always apolitical but of constitutional nature, which should not be given a political colour. “We respect all the political parties but do not have any leaning towards any particular party,” he said.

Asked what was in the report that the defence ministry had submitted to the Supreme Court, he said had there been a need to make public the briefing provided to Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, it would have already been disclosed.

To a question about the narrative being built against the army on social media, Major General Sharif said sometimes people have their own views but many times they are supported by political forces and sometimes they also promote international agenda and agenda of hostile agencies. “Our Constitution gives freedom of expression but it also has some limits in this connection,” he said, adding that action could be taken against the anti-army propaganda on the social media. With several retired military men supporting PTI, the ISPR DG said that the veterans’ organisations should not become political as their purpose was to ensure veterans’ welfare and highlight their issues.

Asked to comment on the observations made at National Security Committee that the previous government’s soft policies towards the TTP caused a surge in terrorism, General Sharif said it was a policy in the past. “The army is conducting kinetic operations against the terrorists which will continue till elimination of terrorism,” he maintained. He said the armed forces were fully prepared to respond to all kinds of provocation from India and would resolutely respond to any aggressive designs and there should be no doubt in the minds of critics about their operational preparedness.

Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the army has its own detailed system. “If there is any criticism, it is dealt with, but the system is based on facts and due process. Its aim is to provide justice to all parties. Its purpose is not to act on the basis of rumours.”

The DG ISPR said that India’s aggressive ambitions and baseless allegations cannot change history. “Kashmir is an officially recognised dispute and its status cannot be changed. Kashmir has never been an integral part of India, nor will it ever be.”

In this regard, he also referred to a statement of COAS General Asim Munir which he gave on his very first visit to the LoC that the armed forces were ever ready not only to defend every inch of the motherland but also to take the fight back to the enemy if war was imposed on the country.

Major General Ahmed Sharif maintained that faith and Jehad were the motto of the armed forces. He said India had committed 56 ceasefire violations since January this year and during these infringements, Pakistan shot down its six spy quadcopters.

He said India was involved in spreading false and unfounded propaganda of infiltration and technical air violations against Pakistan to achieve a particular political agenda of the rulers of New Delhi. Responding to a question about a possible false flag operation by India, the DG ISPR said it was “unfortunate” that Pakistan’s internal situation carried importance in India’s domestic politics. He explained that the reason behind it was to divert attention from India’s own issues. “False flag operations and doing false propaganda against Pakistan and influencing social media inside Pakistan with its facilitators has been India’s tactic and it will keep doing this,” the DG ISPR said.

Major General Sharif said Pakistan always cooperated with the UN Military Observer Group in India and arranged a number of visits of the UNMOGIP, international media and the secretary general of the OIC to the Line of Control. He, however, said India had not taken any initiative like this to hide the ground realities in the Occupied Kashmir from the international community.

Talking about the situation on the western borders, Maj. Gen. Sharif said a surge in attempts to harm the law and order situation in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been witnessed in the last few months; however, the armed forces, police and law enforcement agencies were fully active to foil the enemy designs. He said the armed forces were fully focused on ensuring internal and border security and were playing a cardinal role in breaking the terrorist networks.

The military spokesperson said around 436 incidents of terrorism were reported this year and the security forces conducted 8,269 intelligence-based operations during which around 1,535 terrorists were either killed or arrested. He said the security forces were conducting over 70 operations on a daily basis to eliminate terrorism.

He said with the unmatched sacrifices of the people and armed forces, there was no “no-go area in Pakistan.” However, he added, there exist some sleeper cells of terrorists in some parts of Pakistan, which were being taken on by the armed forces on a daily basis.

The DG ISPR said large caches of arms and ammunition had also been recovered from terrorists and their facilitators during these operations. He said handlers and masterminds of terrorists were also being exposed. Police Lines Peshawar Mosque attack was conducted by a member of Jamaat-e-Ahrar at the whims of TTP. He said the suicide bomber, who executed this attack, was an Afghan national. He said all three perpetrators of the attack on the Karachi Police Office were killed in retaliatory action by the security forces. The ISPR DG further said that 137 officers and personnel of the security forces embraced martyrdom in the fight against terrorism this year.

Major General Sharif further said around 3,141-kilometre border had been fenced along the frontiers with Afghanistan and Iran to prevent infiltration of terrorists. He said 98 percent border with Afghanistan and 85 percent with Iran had been fenced, while 85 percent of forts along the Afghanistan frontier and 33 percent with Iran had been built. He further said 65 percent of erstwhile tribal areas had been cleared of land mines.

Highlighting measures for the socio-economic uplift of people of erstwhile tribal areas, the ISPR chief said 3,654 projects were being completed at the cost of Rs162 billion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while 95 percent of the affected population had returned to their homes.

He said around 14,000 people had been given jobs in the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps under the Youth Employment Scheme. Similarly, over 1,200 students are getting education in various institutions.

The ISPR DG said the security forces are providing security to the projects being completed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He said the army had also announced various welfare projects for the people of Gwadar.