RAWALPINDI: Inter-Services Public Relations Director General (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday categorically refuted media reports claiming certain comments made by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir in Brussels.
“The army chief made no remark about the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Brussels,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said while speaking to the media at an event. Stressing that COAS Munir did not give any interview, the military spokesperson clarified that the Field Marshal also did not mention any “apology”. His clarification comes in response to last week’s media reports, which claimed that the army chief had said that “political reconciliation was only possible via genuine apologies from all parties concerned”.
Reiterating the military’s stance on the May 9 riots, the army’s spokesperson said that those behind the incident and their facilitators and planners should be held accountable as per the law. “May 9 is not just an issue for the army, but for the entire nation,” said Lt Gen Chaudhry, adding that anyone involved in unlawful actions will be held accountable under the law and face criminal charges.
Furthermore, expressing his views, the ISPR chief said that Pakistan is a country capable of changing the region’s fate, and that is why it comes under attack frequently. “Youth should understand the legacy and history of their ideological state,” he said.Reflecting on the recent armed conflict with India, he said that the neighbouring country thought that it would discredit the Pakistan Army via its attack, however, everything turned out to be different. “When Pakistan and the Pakistani Army gave a strong response, India failed in all its plans, including proxies.... The world saw that Pakistan fought the enemy on every front,” he added.
On the issue of terrorism, Lt Gen Chaudhry stressed the need for the implementation of 2014 National Action Plan for lasting peace. “Only the first point of the National Action Plan is being fully implemented. The other 13 points are also necessary to fill the governance gap,” he said. “The army, police and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are filling the governance gaps by [paying with] their blood on a daily basis,” he lamented.
“If we expel illegal Afghans involved in crimes, some political and criminal figures in our country start having problems,” the military spokesperson said.