Director General Inter Services
Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor Tuesday said
Operation Radd ul Fasaad achieved positive results and 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
Radd ul Fasaad was launched to consolidate the gains made in the
earlier operations and to undertake campaign of deweaponisation
and put an end to the facilitators of terrorists as per the spirit
of the National Action Plan (NAP).
The operation has no timeline and it is an operation of
every Pakistani and all institutions, he added.
“We will carry out the operation with the 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 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 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
faultlines in Pakistan.”
He said terrorists act beyond any religion, nationality,
province or sect.
Army will fulfill its responsibility to ensure security
during final of Pakistan Super League (PSL), he told.
Major Gen Asif Ghafoor said in previous operations, army
cleared the areas and other institutions carried out development
works including building of roads, hospitals and schools.
The collective effort by 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 due to
operations in Pakistan the terrorists crossed over to Afghanistan
and reorganized and regrouped.
The recent incidents could not be termed resurgence of
terrorists, he continued.
He said the terrorists had support of enemies of Pakistan
and Radd ul Fasaad will 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 Afghanistan also faced the problem of terrorism and gave
sacrifices.
“We have military to military level 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.
Major Gen Asif Ghafoor said land of Pakistan was not used for
terrorism in Afghanistan.
28 February , 2017
Editor