Anarchy if judicial system doesn’t punish May 9 culprits: ISPR

RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Army Monday cautioned that if the country’s judicial system did not take the planners and facilitators of May 9 to task, the mob mentality, fascism and anarchy would spread to the detriment of the state of Pakistan.

“It is responsibility of the provincial governments to take action if some miscreants join a protest and beat people,” said Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif during an interaction with the national media at the General Headquarters (GHQ) here.

He took exception to the fake and vulgar news spread by certain elements against the military leadership and leadership of other institutions on the social media saying, ‘If you give the bully more space, it will attack you more.”

Instead of taking such elements to courts, they were given more space and treated as heroes in the name of freedom of expression, he said. “How many people have been punished and their properties seized?” he asked.

Rejected criticism of Azm-e-Istehkam operation, Gen Sharif said there was no military operation rather it was meant to fulfill the aims and objectives of the National Action Plan (NAP) which was revised in 2021.

He said a very strong illegal and political lobby wanted that the aims and objectives of Azm-e-Istehkam, which were also the aims and objectives of the revised NAP, should not be fulfilled. “A big illegal and political mafia stood everywhere in the country against the Azm-e-Istehkam operation to curb the terror-crime nexus in the country,” he said.

Gen Sharif said the revised NAP also emphasised reforms in the criminal justice system and anti-terrorist courts were constituted. “There are only 13 ATCs in KP and nine in Balochistan. We have conducted thousands of IBOs whereas there are only 14 convictions in KP and 10 convictions in Balochistan,” he said.

One of points of the revised NAP was to curb the increasing trend of terror-crime nexus and it was decided to stop this illegal spectrum that hid a big illegal economy hidden facilitating terrorist operations, he said.

The military spokesperson said non-customs paid vehicles in some districts and ‘benami’ (unclaimed) properties had become a big racket of this illegal spectrum.

“Movement across the Pak-Afgan border without legal documents also promoted this illegal spectrum. Millions of rupees are being accumulated through illegal import of oil and smuggling of other various items,” he said.

The revised NAP not only addressed the issue of terrorism but also improved the economy and strengthened the state by curbing this illegal spectrum. “There is a vested interest which does not want this to happen; they are making a lot of money. This vested interest is served by spending some money also on a soft state,” he said.

Gen Sharif pointed out when the government decided to start one document passport, the vested interest, which was political or apolitical, started protest, insisting on permission to carry on smuggling.

“When we decided to curb the terror-crime nexus and re-energise the revised NAP, the mafia got worried. Despite the fact that everything was clear, they started making Azm-e-Istehkam controversial because the stakes were very high. There are no ideologies involved. Money is spent on the media and social media to make the operation controversial,” he said.

He went to say that to sustain the terror-crime nexus, illegal money was also spent on terrorists so that they could keep the security forces busy. “They will start Aman March, attack the security forces and law-enforcement agencies but will not talk about regulating the seminaries (Madaris), constituting ATCs and counter terrorism departments and making a unified narrative but attack those who stand up against terrorism. Whoever is patronizing this illegal spectrum is active against Azm-e-Istehkam,” he continued.

He said ‘Clear, Hold and Transfer’ had been a clear policy of the Pakistan Army. He said the National Action Plan (NAP) also talked about regularisation and registration of seminaries but only a bit over 16,000 were done and the status of 50 percent was unknown.

“Is this the responsibility of the army?” he questioned. He said since the start of year 2024, the army, police and other law-enforcement agencies carried out 12,409 small and big intelligence based operations (IBOs) against terrorists and their facilitators.

During these IBOs (112 per day), as many as 398 terrorists, including 31 high-value targets were eliminated, while 137 officers and jawans were martyred.

Gen Sharif said in view of propaganda against the security forces, it was important to interact with the media regularly and frequently to respond to such fake news and counter such campaign.

“A narrative is being built that the operation would displace people but the purpose of the operation was only to reinvigorate the already in-place National Action Plan (NAP),” the DG ISPR said, adding that the policy document of the operation clearly mentioned this aspect.

He said if Azm-i-Istehkam was properly implemented, it would not only eliminate terrorism but also lead to societal and national uplift.

He said the Prime Minister’s Office issued a declaration on June 24 stating that the operation was being misunderstood and compared with kinetic operations like Zarb-e-Azb and Rah-e-Najat.

“No large scale operation is being contemplated where displacement of population would be required,” the DG ISPR said while reading out the declaration. He said it was not understandable as to why a political party was protesting against its own government in the province.

“Why don’t you stage marches against the killers of innocent lady health workers and innocent civilians and martyrdom of officers and jawans of security forces by terrorists?” he questioned. He said some miscreants also joined a peace march in Bannu.

“As they passed through the road, an attack on Bannu Cantonment took place. They chanted slogans against the state and army and pelted stones and opened firing. Some people also entered the supply depot and looted bags of flour. The army responded as per the SOP,” he said.

He said the security forces fired in the air after the mob did not heed the warning. He regretted that a false narrative was built that the security forces fired directly on the mob and fake photos were also shared.

“The army stands up against terrorists and digital terrorists. The time has come for the entire nation to stand up against them. There is no doubt that the target of both physical and digital terrorism is Pakistan Army,” he added.

Responding to a question about the narrative being built against the army chief with particular reference to the SIFC, he said what was being done on the social media against the military leadership and army was digital terrorism.

“A terrorist tries to impose his will with gun, while a digital terrorist, who most of the time is not identified, imposes his will through fake news and narrative on the social media,” Gen Sharif said, adding that both had the same alignment that their only target was the army.

He said law, regulations and punishments were there to deal with digital terrorism, which, if not implemented, would weaken relations between the army and people. He pointed out that for the past some time, many fake and vulgar news against the military leadership and leadership of other institutions were being spread on the social media.

He said some part of physical and digital terrorism was also seen in Iran and Syria where hatred was spread. “Your country has faced more severe attacks. On one side Khawaraj are sitting in Afghanistan, on the other hand, India is waiting for the Pakistan Army to weaken,” he said.

Asked about an audio leak of the TTP chief Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, the DG ISPR questioned what brand of religion the militant was preaching that involved blowing up schools, colleges, hospitals, and homes.

[Such narratives and actions] will be taken to their logical end,” he said, adding, “Only strengthen our resolve that Azm-i-Istehkam is imperative and necessary” for the country’s stability and security.”

He said it was decided in 2014 and 2021 that counter-terrorism departments would be established at the provincial levels and they would be responsible for leading operations against terrorism.

On the TLP’s recent sit-in, he said the issue at its core was about Palestine. “This is a very important and sensitive issue. It should be clear that the state and army have a clear stance on the issue of Palestine: it is genocide and unacceptable,” said the military spokesperson.