- Says Army shouldn’t be dragged into politics & elections
RAWALPINDI, June 4: Indian army has continuously been breaching the ceasefire understanding of 2003, targeting innocent civilian population along the Line of Control (LoC). However, Pakistan army responds when Indian forces target civilians.
This was stated by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor at a press conference today.
He said Pakistan didn’t retaliate when India resorted to ceasefire violations following an agreement reached last week to implement the 2003 pact, but was forced to respond when the latter targeted civilians.
On more than 2,000 occasions, the ceasefire has been violated by the
Indian side within 13 years of the agreement, he said and made it clear that Pakistan has been exercising restraint but its desire for peace should not be misinterpreted as weakness.
He said Pakistan has significant evidence of Indian involvement in terrorist activities in the country, which it refuses to accept. One instance of its involvement is Indian spy Kulbushan Jadhav, who has been on death row for his involvement in terrorism acts in the country, he added.
He said India needs to realise where it wants to head in the future. “We are two nuclear powers and there is no space for war,” he clarified.
Commenting on the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace, Gen Ghafoor said a high-powered Afghan delegation visited Islamabad and held a meeting with the army chief in which peace plan was discussed in detail.
He said peace in the war-torn country has direct bearing on peace in Pakistan which has been making efforts for bringing peace to the country, he added.
The DG ISPR said Pakistan knew that 50 per cent of the Afghan territory was under influence of the Taliban militant, adding that it decided to carry out fencing of the Pak-Afghan border to stop cross-border attacks.
At least seven soldiers have been martyred during the fencing of the border, he said. However, he stated in clear terms that fencing along the border won’t stop owing to attacks.
Gen Ghafoor said the Haqqani Network and other militants have completely been eliminated from Pakistan while some elements took refuge in the Afghan camps.
About merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said some tribal elders were not in favour of the amalgamation unlike youngsters of the region majority of whom supported the move.
Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said that the military should not be dragged into politics and elections.
DG said no one is happier than the military that the government completed its five-year tenure.
He said that while 2018 is an election year, this does not mean that the military should be dragged into politics. He added that it is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan to conduct the elections and the military has nothing to do with them. The military, he said will fulfill the role it has been enshrined under the Constitution.-Agencies
