Screengrab of Maj. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry’s press conference
Maj. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, in his maiden press conference as the director-general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on Tuesday reiterated the military’s commitment to eradicating terrorism from Pakistan, adding that attempts to advance dialogue with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had solely been an initiative of the previous government.
Stressing that “holding dialogue with the banned TTP was the decision of the then-government of Pakistan and they have openly admitted this as well,” he clarified that the current policy was to target terrorists without any distinction through “kinetic operations.” Acknowledging that incidents of terrorism had increased following the U.S. exit from Afghanistan, he alleged that various extremists groups were now working together to sabotage peace in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Sharing details of the prevailing security situation, the military’s spokesman said 293 people had been martyred and 521 injured in 436 terrorist incidents nationwide. Of these, he said, 219 incidents occurred in KP, martyring 192 people; 206 in Balochistan, martyring 80 people; five in Punjab, martyring 14 people; and six in Sindh, martyring seven people. In response, said Maj. Gen. Chaudhry, the Army and law enforcement agencies had conducted 8,269 intelligence-based operations during 2022, apprehending 1,378 suspected terrorists and killing 157. Emphasizing that there weren’t any “no-go” areas in Pakistan, he admitted that some terror outfits were “still active” in various parts of the country.
He also explained that around 3,141 kilometers of the borders between Pakistan and Iran and Afghanistan had been fenced to prevent infiltration of terrorists. He said 98 percent of the border with Afghanistan, and 85 percent with Iran, had been fenced. Similarly, he said, 85 percent of forts along the Afghanistan frontier and 33 percent with Iran had also been completed. He said 65 percent of the erstwhile tribal areas have been cleared of land mines.
Further stressing on the successes of law enforcers, the spokesman said the “mastermind” of the Peshawar Police Lines suicide bombing—Imtiaz alias Tora Shah—had been arrested, adding that investigations had found the attacker was an Afghan national brought to Pakistan by the TTP. He lamented that terrorists operating in Pakistan were being trained in Afghanistan and said efforts were underway to restrict their entry into the country.
To a question, Maj. Gen. Chaudhry said the Army was cognizant of the economic crunch and had taken steps to reduce non-operational expenses related to fuel, rations, constructions, procurement, training and movement. He said officials have also been encouraged to utilize meetings via video-link and conduct trainings using simulators to further cut expenses.
No favorites
The Army spokesman reiterated that the military does not have any preference for any political party or ideology. “The Pakistan Army is a national army. All political parties are respectable for us … but we do not lean towards any political party or ideology,” he said, adding that any attempts to enforce a specific political ideology through military force always led to “anarchy.”
Emphasizing that the government and the military have constitutional and non-political ties, he urged all citizens to avoid giving this a “political color.” To several questions on the deployment of Army personnel for election duties, the spokesperson avoided giving a direct response but noted that the military had given its stance in a report submitted to the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He added that the contents of the report—which he described as based on “ground realities”—were confidential and could not be publicly shared.
To a question on the Army’s agreement with the Punjab government for 45,257 acres of land to commence corporate farming, Maj. Gen. Chaudhry claimed food insecurity was a challenge and governments in many developing countries were utilizing the armed forces to improve it. To another question on retired Army personnel openly supporting the PTI, he said veterans’ organizations should not become political as their purpose was to ensure veterans’ welfare and highlight their issues.
Responding to queries on social media campaigns maligning the Army, he said some of the commentary against state institutions was “irresponsible, illogical and unconstitutional.” Noting that the Army could not promptly respond to all social media posts, he alleged that people with “vested interests” were working at the behest of hostile intelligence agencies to spread propaganda against the armed forces. “Army cannot be pressured because of unwarranted propaganda, there are laws for judges to initiate contempt proceeding against contemnors and the Army also resorts to law in such cases,” he said.
India’s role
On India, the Army spokesman said the neighboring state was continuing its propaganda against Pakistan, adding that it was also indulging in ceasefire violations along the LoC. Claiming that Pakistan had taken down six Indian spy quadcopters, he recalled that Pakistan had taken U.N. observers to the LoC several times, while India had refused to do the same. “India’s aggressive designs and baseless allegations cannot change history. India cannot change the historical status of Kashmir. If India plans any adventure, Pakistani forces will give a strong response,” he said, adding that Pakistan was perfectly capable of defending its territory as had been proven in Operation Swift Retort in 2019 when the Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian aircraft inside Pakistani airspace and arrested an Indian pilot.
Explaining that Pakistan’s situation holds importance in India’s internal matters, he claimed Delhi often talks about Pakistan’s politics to divert attention from its own problems. “Some local elements advance India’s agenda knowingly or unknowingly,” he added.
Explaining some of the Army efforts for socio-economic uplift, he said 3,654 projects worth Rs. 162 billion were being completed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Similarly, he said, around 14,000 people had been given jobs in the Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps under the Youth Employment Scheme.