- Asim Bajwa says basis of Pakistani defence system is Indian threats
- Says narrative that Pakistan has not done enough to fight terrorism was ‘unfair as it did not recognise Pak’s contributions to war against terror
BERLIN, June 23: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa has said that Pakistan is facing threats from India, adding that the basis of Pakistani defence system is Indian threats. He said that the biggest reason behind confronting relation with India is Kashmir issue whereas making India a member of NSG would be discriminatory. He said democracy is being strengthened in country and Pakistan army is providing necessary support to democracy. He said that the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan Agency is against all the militants. He said the narrative that Pakistan has not done enough to fight terrorism was “unfair” as it did not recognise Pakistan’s contributions to the war against terror.
During an interview with Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Asim Saleem Bajwa said that the international community had not done enough for Pakistan and that the world had left Pakistan alone to fight terrorists.
“I would say that the international community has not done enough for us,” he said.
Asim Bajwa also said during the course of his interview that Pakistan army was conducting Operation Zarb-e-Azb without preference to any militant organization. According to the DG ISPR, the Haqqani network was also being targeted in the operation.
“The military has no preferences. We are targeting terrorists from all groups. The military crackdown is worthy of all the efforts. We have eliminated the terrorists from the area, and the people are very pleased with our efforts,” he said.
Bajwa also criticized the recent American drone strike which killed former Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour. Asim Bajwa said that it was unfortunate since Pakistan was not informed of the strike despite being an ally of the USA and Mansour was part of the Afghan reconciliation process.
“Mansour entered into Pakistan from another state and then he was traced and attacked. He was a part of the reconciliation process and was required to play his role for peace,” he said. “Pakistan was not informed despite being an ally. This is the issue Pakistan has been protesting,” he added.
During the interview, Asim Bajwa also spoke about Pakistan’s ties with India and said that his country’s defence mechanism was ‘India-specific’. This, he said, was due to the fact that India posed the biggest threat to Pakistan’s security.
Asim Bajwa also said that developments were going on to engage India however; the long-standing issue of Kashmir was the cause of tensions between both nuclear armed nations of the sub-continent.
DG ISPR said that around 18,000 operations have been conducted on intelligence basis in which approximately 240 terrorists were killed while several facilitators were also arrested.
He reiterated that Pakistan has done a lot to combat terrorism but criticism from the West that the Pakistani army is not “doing enough” against militants is “both regretful and unjustified.”
Bajwa revealed that the army was unaware about the attack on Mullah Mansour Akhtar who was killed on Pakistan’s land.
He said Pakistan has also protested against the drone strikes on its territory and raised the matter at different levels.
Talking about Torkham border clash, Asim Bajwa said that an exchange of firing was held at the border however, negotiations are underway with Afghan government to resolve the matter.
The Pakistan military spokesperson went on to say that the world abandoned Pakistan to handle and face the terrorists in the region alone.
Bajwa, while offering a clear and straightforward statement regarding the United States (US) drone strikes on Pakistani soil, said Pakistan has raised its voice against drone strikes on every platform and would continue to the same in the future.
He said 62 percent IDPs, who were affected from operation, has returned to their homes. He said the process of return of all IDPs will be completed during the current year. He said democracy is being strengthened in country and Pakistan army is providing necessary support to democracy. He said consultation is done on important issues of national security. He said Pakistan army provides every possible support to government in law and order and infrastructure development improvement. -Sabah
