Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif said “serious issues are being politicised” in the country as he addressed queries related to Operation Azm-e-Istehkam during a lengthy press conference on Monday.
The development comes as Pakistan faces increased terrorist attacks across the country and the government responds with a counter-terrorism action called Azm-e-Istehkam.
Last week, five civilians and two soldiers were martyred in a terrorist attack on a health centre in Dera Ismail Khan District. Earlier, at least eight Pakistan Army soldiers and some civilians embraced martyrdom after an attempt by terrorists to infiltrate the cantonment area in Bannu was foiled by the security forces.
“The purpose of this press conference is to clarify the army’s stance on some important topics,” DG ISPR said as he started the presser.
“An increase has been witnessed in propaganda and fake news against the Pak Army,” he said, adding that it became important to address these issues.
In 2024 so far, a total of 22,409 intelligence-based operations have been conducted against terrorists and their facilitators, he said.
During the operations, out of the total 398 terrorists eliminated 31 were high-value targets, DG ISPR informed.
“A total of 137 security forces personnel embraced martyrdom during these operations.”
“It is quite unfortunate that serious issues are being politicised in the country,” DG ISPR said as he was asked a question related to the Operation Azm-e-Istehkam.
“Azm-e-Istehkam is a comprehensive counter-terrorism campaign, not a military operation as it is being portrayed.
“Azm-e-Istehkam is being wrongly compared with the previous large-scale military operations that were conducted against terrorists inside no-go areas.
“There are no such no-go areas in the country now,” he said.
“Therefore, no large-scale military operation is being contemplated in which displacement will be required.”
“Azm-e-Istehkam is aimed at energising already in place intelligence-based operations and to root out violent reinvigorate in the country,” DG ISPR said, adding that a secure environment is also necessary for the economic development.
“There is a very strong lobby that is working against Azm-e-Istehkam and the revised National Action Plan.
“A massive, illegal, political mafia rose to sabotage the operation and its first move was to make the operations controversial”.
Regarding the points mentioned in the National Action Plan, the DG ISPR said more than 32,000 madaris are present in the country and only around 16,000 have been registered so far. A huge portion remains unregistered, he added.
“Will the Army do this? he asked.
“These agreements were made in 2014 with a consensus with all the political parties.”
Bannu incident
The DG ISPR said eight military personnel were martyred in the terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment.
Bannu Cantt attack undertaken by Hafiz Gul Bahadur group, which operates from Afghanistan: ISPR
He said some innocent civilians also lost their lives due to indiscriminate firing of the terrorists.
He added that the local traders asked the next day for carrying out a peace march after the attack and it was agreed that no anti-state slogans would be chanted.
“[However,] some specific negative elements joined the peace march,” the DG ISPR said.
DG Sharif further said slogans against the army and state could be heard in the rally as it marched throughout the point of the terrorist attack. A temporary wall erected was also torn down and the supply depot was looted, Sharif added.
“When the rally passed through the area where the incident occurred, some armed men from the rally opened fire. Moreover, firing was also witnessed even at the other point of the rally, which was 1km meter away.
“This is how it happened. The response from the security forces was as per the SOP.
“…the security forces conducted aerial firing as per the orders,” DG Sharif said.
“The issue is why this happened. This happened because of your legal and judicial system. When it gives leeway to the perpetrators and facilitators of May 9 and doesn’t bring them to justice then discord, mob mentality and fascism further increases,” he said.
“Miscreants join a crowd and open fire and kill people, so this responsibility is of the provincial government and administration. So it does not make sense that what protest is one political party carrying out against its own provincial government?”
TLP sit-in
Regarding a recent protest by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in Islamabad, the government and the institutions were in talks with the TLP to end the protest through negotiations due to the sensitivity of the Palestine cause.
TLP ends Faizabad sit-in after reaching agreement with govt
DG ruled out the establishment’s any role in the sit-in, blaming propaganda and fake news for such talks.
“Tomorrow, if Jamaat-e-Islami announces a sit-in on the Palestine issue, they will say the army has called them.”
Digital terrorism
When asked about campaigns against the army, the DG ISPR termed them as digital terrorism.
“A terrorist imposes his will through a weapon. In the same way, these digital terrorists use mobile to spread propaganda and fake news.
“Instead of the courts and regulations moving forward against them [digital terrorists], they’re given further space and they’re made heroes in the name of freedom of expression,” DG Sharif said.
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