In a statement on Tuesday, Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif, the Director
General (DG) of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), highlighted the
military's unwavering dedication to eradicating terrorism. He emphasized that
the army, as a "national" institution, holds respect for all
politicians and political parties.
In his first press conference since being appointed as the
head of the military's media affairs wing, Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif, the Director
General (DG) of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), emphasized the army's
focus on anti-terror operations during a briefing on national security and
terrorism. Providing details on the situation at Pakistan's eastern border with
India and the Line of Control (LoC) - the de facto border dividing Kashmir between
India and Pakistan - Maj-Gen Sharif stated that the LoC had remained relatively
peaceful after the restoration of the 2003 ceasefire agreement.
However, he criticized India for its "fake
propaganda" on infiltration and technical airspace violations, stating
that it was driven by a special political agenda. He highlighted that Pakistan
had granted complete access to the UN observers at the LoC, whereas India had
not, organizing 16 trips to the LoC with the participation of international
organizations and media. Maj-Gen Sharif added that India had violated the LoC
ceasefire 56 times in the ongoing year, while Pakistan had taken measures to
counter such attempts, including shooting down six spy quadcopters.
Maj-Gen Sharif also highlighted that terrorists in
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in western Pakistan were attempting to
disrupt peace, but the security forces, police, and other law enforcement
agencies were actively thwarting their efforts. He assured that the armed
forces were committed to ensuring border security, and had taken appreciable
measures to track down terrorist networks.
Furthermore, Maj-Gen Sharif pointed out the proven linkages
between the banned outfit Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch militant groups
in various terrorism incidents.
Countering Terrorism: Update on Pakistan's Anti-Terror
Operations
He provided further details, stating that there had been 436
terrorist attacks in Pakistan during the current year, resulting in 293
fatalities and 521 injuries.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), he mentioned that 192 people were
killed and 330 injured, while in Balochistan, 80 people were killed and 170
injured. Additionally, 14 people were killed and three injured in Punjab, and
in Sindh, seven people were killed and 18 injured.The DG ISPR revealed that
security forces had carried out 8,269 intelligence-based operations in the
current year, resulting in the arrest or elimination of 1,525 terrorists.
Out of these operations, he stated that 3,531 were conducted
in KP, leading to the killing or arrest of 159 terrorists, while 119 operations
were conducted in Punjab and 519 in Sindh.He emphasized that more than 70
operations were conducted daily to combat terrorism in Pakistan, and due to the
sacrifices of the public and the army, there were no longer any no-go areas in
the country. While some terrorists remained active in certain areas, he assured
that they were being pursued relentlessly.
Illegal weapons and ammunition were recovered from the
terrorists, and facilitators and planners involved in terror incidents had been
arrested and exposed, according to Maj-Gen Sharif.He mentioned that the attacks
on a mosque in Peshawar Police Lines and the Karachi Police Office (KPO) in
January and February respectively were indicative of the malicious intentions
of terrorists who had no affiliation with the state or Islam.
He revealed that the banned outfit Jamaatul Ahrar had carried
out the attack in Peshawar Police Lines on the orders of TTP, and the suicide
bomber who carried out the attack was identified as an Afghan citizen from
Kunduz, named Imtiaz, who was subsequently arrested from Bajaur.
Maj-Gen Sharif added that other terrorists who had received
training from Jamaatul Ahrar and TTP's Maulvi Abdul Baseer alias Aizam Safi in
Afghanistan had also been apprehended.He further disclosed that the attack had
been aborted twice due to low turnout at the mosque before being executed on
the third attempt.
Regarding the attack on KPO, he stated that the three
terrorists who carried it out had been killed in retaliatory action by security
forces, and three masterminds behind the attack had also been arrested. Arms
and ammunition were recovered from these terrorists, and it was revealed that
they had reached Karachi via Hub. The reconnaissance of KPO had been carried
out for eight months prior to the attack, according to Maj-Gen Sharif.
The DG ISPR concluded by stating that a total of 137 security
personnel had been martyred and 117 injured in anti-terror operations during
the current year.
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