No space for war between nuclear states: DG ISPR

RAWALPINDI: DG ISPR Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor said that Pakistan army would be compelled to retaliate if India targeted civilian population.

“DG MO has given an undertaking to his Indian counterpart about respecting the 2003 ceasefire agreement and Pakistan army is committed to uphold it. But we will give a befitting response if Indian army hits our civilian population,” Asif Ghafoor briefed media at GHQ.

“India should decide how it wants to proceed. We are two nuclear powers and there is no space for war,” he said. “Our priority is to respect the ceasefire agreement, we will not respond to the first bullet fired by Indian at us. But if civilians are targeted, we will be forced to retaliate,” he said.

“We request the Indian army and media to defuse tense situation,” he said. “Recently I had interaction with SAARC journalists including Indians. We took them to North Waziristan.”

“They asked a question that a high-profile incident happens in India whenever ties are improved between Pakistan and India. I told them you have witnessed only two incidents such as Mumbai attacks while Pakistan has faced thousands of such incidents,” he said,” adding Kulbhushan Jadhav is one such example of Indian involvement in fomenting violence.

India, he said, carried out more than 15, 00 ceasefire violations in 2018 alone.

The DG ISPR said that there were 71 incidents of cross-border terrorism ever since Pakistan started fencing its border with Afghanistan.

“There is no organized militant network, including Haqqanis, in Pakistan. We now want respectful repatriation of Afghan refugees from our country,” he added.

He said that even Americans realize that there was significant after military operations in Waziristan. 

The DG ISPR said that Hazara community expressed its joy when LeJ commander Salman Badeni was killed in Balochistan. He said that terror incidents dropped after the killing of Salman Badeni. 

FATA, he said, was now a part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and everybody should work to build it.

PTM talks

Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor said that he had personally met PTM  members including Mohsin Dawar and Manzoor Ahmed. "I held a separate meeting with Mohsin Dawar and Manzoor Pashteen and then arranged their meeting with military officers to resolve their issues," he said.

"Dawar sent me a text and thanked me for addressing his issues. But all of a sudden, hundreds of social media accounts were created to launch anti-Pakistan propaganda," he said. 

"How could so many caps were made? How could foreign media start telecasting their protests live? Thankfully, local media ignored their propaganda," he said. 

Ghafoor said that Chief of the Army Staff had strictly advised the forces to avoid use of force against PTM's members. "We now have strong evidence to prove that PTM is being exploited by foreign elements," he said. 

In Wana, he said that it was a clash between PTM and Aman committee. 

"Army helicopters were used to transport the injured to hospitals. But unfortunately, they started sharing a fake photograph of some girl being shot.  There was no such casualty in Wana."

"It doesn't affect us if you make false claims on social media. The people of Pakistan greatly respect armed forces because of the sacrifices they have given in the war against terrorism." He said that "our focus is on the job and we should not deviate from it."

Pakistan army is the only force which has won the war against terrorism, he said. 

"Whoever wears uniform be it police, army, FC, Rangers is part of us. They all are in the line of fire and they are doing it for the country."

To a question, he said that whenever a war takes place, there are cruel consequences. "For example, innocent people are killed in the cross-border firing at LOC. Who was the fault of 70, 000 people killed in the war against terrorism?"

"When we have overcome a war and we are heading toward stability, there is propaganda against us."

"Everybody who is not home is not picked by armed forces. Terrorist has no ethnicity, caste or religion and we have taken on such terrorists."

FATA will be at par with Punjab in coming years, he said. "Checkposts are being abolished as security situation improves. FATA was a combat area and even check-posts are in place in cities like Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta."

"Please let us decide about the security issues. It is our job." "We will continue to tolerate any criticism as long as it doesn't affect the country," he maintained. 

The army chief spokesman has urged critics not to undermine the country's sacrifices to build their own career.

In Karachi, he said that people must reject a  politico-criminal nexus. 

Social media launches propaganda

Asif Ghafoor said that thousands of fake accounts were set up on social media to launch a propaganda. 

"We need to check what to tweet and what no to. Social media is a lethal threat to young generation than the grown-ups," he said. 

He said that some accounts being run in the name of army or defence institutions were reported to FIA for action. 

"Pakistan army is a national force and we cannot afford a discord or division in the country," he added. 

To a question, he said that Asad Durrani was a three-star general who was given early retirement due to disciplinary issues. 

"We have ordered a court of inquiry against his book. The finding of the inquiry will be shared with media," he said. 

He said that Durrani was entitled to his opinion, but there was some discipline for head of institutions. "Durrani had not acquired an NoC from us for the book. If he had acquired it, he would not have faced such a situation."

Responding to a question, he said that political parties must not drag army into politics.  "All the allegations hurled against army were proved wrong."

He hoped that elections must be held as per schedule. "This is the prerogative of Election Commission of Pakistan to decide about the elections. If ECP decides to hold it tomorrow, let it be. We will perform our task as per the ECP's requirements," he said. 

Water shortage poses serious threat

He admitted that water shortage was a serious to Pakistan. "Our political parties have to evolve a consensus on construction of new dams or water reserviors. Hopefully, next government will look into it," he said. 

"We are afraid that future wars will be fought on the issue of water," he added.