ISLAMABAD: Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said Indian forces were spilling innocents’ blood in violation of the Line of Control (LoC) agreement with Pakistan.
DG ISPR said India conducted several fake operations in the occupied Kashmir, killed several unarmed civilians and arrested many others in blatant violations of UNSC resolution and human rights.
Addressing today’s press conference, Maj-Gen Iftikhar said that he will be discussing issues relating to regional security, Pakistan’s eastern border, western border, landmark achievements of Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad.
Beginning with the eastern border, he said that under the ceasefire agreement reached with India in February last year, the Line of Control (LoC) remained calm throughout the year”.
“The biggest dividend is that the people who live around the area, have seen a definite improvement in their daily lives.
“But alongside this, Indian leaders false accusations and propaganda continued against Pakistan to spoil the peaceful environment,” he said.
DG ISPR stated the fundamental purpose of this was to divert attention of the international community from the systematic demographic changes India is enforcing in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
He further said on the one hand India is on a path of religious extremism, which the whole word is aware of now, and on the other, it has endangered the entire region’s security with its never ending series of weapons purchases.
Director General said that this will not only shift the balance of traditional warfare, but will lead to an arms race in the region, which will have a severe and negative impact on peace.
At the LoC, India’s security mechanism, including the anti-infiltration grid, and with it the false propaganda of infiltration is laughable and raises questions regarding their own security mechanism, he said.
“Recently, the Indian army staged a fake encounter in Kirin sector which is front of Neelum Valley, and in the name of countering infiltration, martyred an innocent Kashmiri, and then blamed Pakistan for it,” he said.
Maj Gen Iftikhar said that the photos circulated by Indian media of the alleged terrorist named Shabbir, is not only alive but is present at home in the Azad Kashmir area of Sharda.
Noting that India has martyred several Kashmiris before this around the LoC area, he said that the truth is that it has already tried to externalise Kashmir’s indigenous freedom struggle.
But now, voices have begun to reverberate throughout India, occupied Kashmir and the entire world that Indian armed forces is targeting innocent Kashmiris in the name of counter terrorism and is trying to illegally crush their completely legitimate and indigenous freedom struggle.
Fencing of Pak-Afghan border
DG ISPR also said that fencing of border with Afghanistan would be completed. He said that 94% percent fencing work had already been completed and remaining fencing would also be accomplished. He said that the fencing of border of Pakistan with Afghanistan was to protect the people of both the sides and not to divide them.
During 2021, on the western border, the security situation was challenging,” Maj Gen Babar said. “The western border management, specifically the Pak-Afghan border … there were some specific local dynamics and these are being addressed at the relevant level.
The DG ISPR said that the Pak-Afghan border fencing was “94 per cent complete”, adding: “We are totally focused, and under the western border management regime, the work that is underway will be completed in some time.”
“The fence on the Pak-Afghan border is needed to regulate security, border crossing and trade. The purpose of this is not to divide but to protect them.”
“People can cross border from designated points,” he explained, adding: “This process will be eased in coming months. The blood of our martyrs was spilled in fencing of the border. It is a fence of peace. It will be completed and remain.”
The DG ISPR deemed the recent uprooting of the fence by Taliban fighters as “one or two localised problems”, which he said was being discussed by the governments of both the countries.
Deal speculations are baseless
DG ISPR termed baseless the news pertaining to any deal between the military establishment and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif. He said that if someone talks about deal, the question should be asked from that person.
He said that the establishment should be kept out of deal speculations. DG ISPR also said that there was no any problem in the civil-military working relationship in the country.
60,000 IBOs in 2021
DG ISPR said that under the operation Ruddul-Fassad, security officials carries out more than 60,000 intelligence-based operations in the country in 2021. He said that this military was played a vital role to improve security situation in the country and discourage militancy. He said that Karachi ranked 6th on crime index and today it was at 129th position mainly because of this operation which has ensured peace in the mega city of Pakistan and other areas in the country.
Maj Gen Babar also reviewed the armed forces’ performance during 2021, calling their work “wonderful”.
“In 2021, intelligence agencies issued 890 threat alerts, on the basis of which 70pc incidents were averted,” he said. “The masterminds and their facilitators were unmasked.”
“In tribal areas, more than 70,000 mines … were recovered and lives were saved. Many officials were injured and martyred during the process.”
“In 2021, 248 troops were martyred. We salute them and their families. [Their sacrifices] helped establish peace. More than 100,000 ammunition were also seized.”
“Under the National Action Plan (NAP), action was taken against terrorists. We can tackle extremism by focusing on the NAP. The ulema and media have also played their part. In Pakistan, no group or person can be allowed to take the law in their hand. Only the state can exercise this power.”
“In Balochistan, attempts to sabotage CPEC (China–Pakistan Economic Corridor) etc have failed. Despite these challenges we have not allowed any disruptions to development projects.”
Looking ahead, DG ISOR said: “The year 2022 also marks 75 years of our independence. We have faced all challenges and we have to play our part in making the country prosperous.”
