ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor on Tuesday said Operation Raddul Fasaad has produced positive results and the army will continue its role to provide security in the country with the assistance of other institutions.
Speaking to a private television channel, he said Operation Raddul Fasaad was launched to consolidate the gains, made in the earlier operations and to undertake campaign of deweaponisation and eliminate the facilitators of terrorists as per the spirit of the National Action Plan (NAP). The operation has no timeline and it is an operation by every Pakistani and of all institutions, he added.
"We will carry out the operation with mutual assistance of other institutions." He said, "The name of the operation sends a message that we, as a nation, have to get together to counter those who are working to destabilise Pakistan. We have to bring peace and stability to Pakistan." He said Pakistan had conducted many operations before, adding that earlier operations in Swat, FATA and North Waziristan were meant to establish writ of the state.
Answering a question about any discrimination while making arrests, the DG said that during the operation, arrests were made across the board. "We are Pakistanis first. We are all Pakistanis and we have to counter the propaganda. The enemies want to exploit the fault-lines in Pakistan."
He said terrorists act beyond any religion, nationality, province or sect. The army will fulfil its responsibility to ensure security during the final of Pakistan Super League (PSL), he added. Asif Ghafoor said that during the previous operations, the army cleared the areas and other institutions carried out development works including building of roads, hospitals and schools.
The collective effort by the people of Pakistan and all institutions resulted in success in war against terrorism, he stressed. To a question, he said, "The timeline of National Action Plan cannot be made specific. The objective is to ensure peace and security in Pakistan."
In reply to another question, the DG ISPR said Afghanistan remained a battleground of different powers, adding that due to operations in Pakistan, the terrorists crossed over to Afghanistan and reorganised and regrouped.
The recent incidents could not be termed resurgence of terrorists, he claimed. He said terrorists had support of enemies of Pakistan and Raddul Fasaad would break the connection between terrorists and their facilitators.
"Terrorism cannot be delinked from outside forces." He said steps needed to be taken before reopening of border with Afghanistan. Political engagement with Afghanistan was necessary, he said adding that Afghanistan also faced the problem of terrorism and gave sacrifices.
"We have military-to-military coordination with Afghanistan and there is need to improve Pak-Afghan border mechanism." He said Afghanistan has to take some steps as nobody should come from the two countries for perpetrating acts of terrorism. Afghanistan government needed to bring some areas under its control, he added. He said Pakistani land was not being used for terrorism in Afghanistan.
