Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif conducted his maiden press conference on Tuesday, stressing that if India tried any misadventures, then Pakistan Army will give a befitting response.
\nThe ISPR DG said that India had committed several ceasefire violations along the LoC this year and Pakistan had also taken down six Indian spy quadcopters.
\nHe noted that Pakistan had taken United Nations observers to the Line of Control (LoC) several times, while India had not done the same.
\nAt the start of the news conference \u2014 his first after taking over the post \u2014 he said the purpose was to elaborate on the army’s professional activities, including analysing its counterterrorism operations.
\n“The contacts between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch [insurgent] organisations and foreign intelligence agencies has been proven.”
\nPakistan’s civil and military agencies took great steps against terrorists, he said.
\nGiving a breakdown of the menace of terrorism during the current year, he said 436 incidents had occurred, in which 293 people were martyred and 523 injured.
\nDuring this period, security forces conducted 8,279 intelligence-based operations (IBOs), in which 1,535 terrorists were killed. Around 70 IBOs were being conducted daily, he added.
\n“There is no no-go area in Pakistan,” he emphasised. However, terrorists were still disturbing the country’s peace.
\nReferring to the suicide attack on a mosque in Peshawar in January, which claimed the lives of over 70 people, the ISPR DG said the blast was carried out by the banned militant group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar on the TTP’s orders.
\n“The attacker belonged to Afghanistan. The facilitators have been arrested. These terrorists were trained in different areas of Afghanistan.”
\nThe masterminds of an attack on the Karachi police chief’s office have also been arrested, he said, adding that the terrorists had taken Rs3 million to carry out the attack.
\nThe ISPR DG further said that 137 security officials have been martyred so far this year while 117 have been wounded. “The war against terrorism that Pakistan has fought is unprecedented and will continue till the last terrorist is eliminated,” he asserted.
\nMajor General Chaudhry said that 98% of the work on the 2,611-kilometre fence between Pakistan and Afghanistan, while 85% of the work on the fence on the border with Iran had been completed.
\nMoreover, 65% of the area in tribal lands had been cleared of mines and 95% of the population displaced due to terrorism had returned home.
\n“No individual or group will be allowed to take the law into their own hands,” he stressed. “Attempts to sabotage CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) and other projects are being thwarted. All projects are being provided complete security.
\n“Different social welfare programs have been announced after slashing the army’s budget. The navy and airforce have also participated in relief activities.”
\nThe ISPR DG said the army had reviewed its expenditures in view of the country’s economic situation. “Petroleum, ration and non-operational movement are being reduced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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