RAWALPINDI – Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Chief Major General Asif Ghafoor on Thursday made it clear that Pakistan was not fighting for money against terrorism and it won’t accept the dictations of any country in this regard.
Addressing a press conference at General Headquarters (GHQ), the military spokesman stated that Pakistan had done enough for everyone for decades and will not do more.
“You can not lure us to your unprofessional tactics,” he declared.
The official expressed Pakistan ensures peace on all fronts and it is the duty of the army to stabilise the region.
He also took aim at India for spreading false propaganda referring to the surgical strikes adding that Pakistan would not be reactive to such lies anymore.
He further said that the Indian propaganda was for its local media only.
“India wants to divert attention from atrocities in Kashmir thus they continue malpractices but Pakistan will continue fighting for the right of the Kashmiri people,” Ghafoor said adding that India did not want Pakistan to succeed in the war against terrorism.
Ghafoor said that through Zarb-e-Azb, Pakistan had tried to eliminate terrorism and the efforts would continue.
Regarding the constant threats being posed by the US, he maintained that We (Pakistan) don’t want conflict with friends but we will ensure country’s defence.
“Pakistan army cannot compromise on its honour,” he noted in strong-worded remarks.
Regarding the law and order situation in Afghanistan, Ghafoor said that Peace in Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s interest.
He mentioned that military-to-military engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan is very important.
“I won’t say the engagement is ideal but there has been an improvement after army chief visit to Afghanistan,” said the spokesperson.
Sharing the statistics and graphs of the number of casualties and terror attacks recorded since 2013 the official highlighted that Pakistan had dismantled all terror networks in FATA.
Army’s Role in Ousting Nawaz
The official of military’s media wing was also asked about the suspected role of Pak Army in ousting former Premier Nawaz Sharif to which he chose not to respond.
“We will continue to have silence on this,’ he said but hastened to add that if there were any pieces of evidence of Army’s role in the disqualification, they should be put forward.
Saad Rafique’s Irresponsible Statement
Major-General Asif Ghafoor said that the statement given by federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique was unwarranted and irresponsible.
“Pakistan Army is an organised and disciplined institution, when the army chief signals towards one way, the entire army looks towards it,” he responded when asked about Saad Rafique’s statement hinting towards the mischief of those who were subordinate to the army chief.
Ghafoor said that Pakistan Army prided itself in its institutional mechanism and had that not been the case, the army would not be known for its professionalism as it was.
He said that such statements should be avoided since the constitution also protects certain institutions.
Jadhav’s Meeting with Family
DG ISPR commented on RAW spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s meeting with the family expressing that India would never appreciate Pakistan for the humanitarian gesture it extended.
“Anti-Pakistan elements will continue to thwart our systems,” he said while referring to Kulbhushan Jadhav case.
“We had no pressure regarding Jadhav, if there was pressure, we would have agreed to consular access, it was purely on humanitarian grounds,” the DG said.
Responding to a question regarding the conspiracy surrounding Jadhav’s wife’s shoes, DG ISPR stated that “The foreign office had informed India in advance that when the family arrives in Pakistan, security checks would be performed”.
Tackling Haqqani Network
Regarding continued US allegations about the presence of Haqqani network in Pakistan, Ghafoor stated, “We are confident that there is no organised terror network inside Pakistan, US and Afghan authorities are well aware that Pakistan tackled the Haqqanis too. They are no more valid.”
Money Distribution Among Faizabad Protesters
To a query about DG Rangers distributing envelopes of money among the Faizabad protesters, the general responded, “ISI is an instrument of the prime minister. A two-star officer was handed the responsibility of resolving the [Faizabad protest] issue. In hindsight, there are many comments on the matter. But it was a sensitive issue and was done on the PM’s instructions.”
On a lighter note, he added, “Do you really think we are so naive that we would give Rs1000 to the protestors? It was done to normalise the situation. That’s what is important.”
Musharraf’s Commentary on Benazir’s Bhutto
To a query about former president Pervez Musharraf’s recent statements regarding “rogue elements” being responsible for Benazir’s death, Maj Ghafoor said, “I am the spokesperson for the sitting army chief and the media should ask Musharraf to defend his own statements, as of now I can say that there are no rogue elements within the Pakistan Army at the moment.”
