The Pakistan Army on Tuesday sought a sincere and public apology from jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and asked him to shun what it called “politics of anarchy and hate” to revive his political fortunes.
However, at the same time, it dismissed the possibility of any ‘deal’ with the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying there won’t be any talks with “anarchists.”
At a press conference on the eve of the first anniversary of the May 9 incident, DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif said that there was no doubt that the PTI was behind the May 9 riots.
However, he said that yet some people were demanding the judicial commission to probe the events of May 9. He said the army was ready for the formation of a judicial commission but added that such an inquiry should also cover the 2014 sit-in and other related events.
He denied the ‘narrative’ that May 9 was a ‘false flag operation’.
Terrorist spike in KP, Balochistan: DG ISPR
The Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that terrorists and their supporters have been actively engaged in exacerbating the law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.
Addressing the tensions with Afghanistan and the terrorist attacks originating from its territory into Pakistan, he revealed that the plot responsible for the tragic demise of five Chinese engineers in an attack on a convoy in Bisham tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla on March 26 was orchestrated in Afghanistan.
“On March 2, a sorrowful incident occurred in Bisham where a suicide bomber targeted a car carrying Chinese engineers working on the Dasu dam project, resulting in the loss of five Chinese citizens and one Pakistani.”
“This suicide bombing is linked to activities across the border in Afghanistan; the planning for this terrorist act was conducted in Afghanistan. Terrorists and their collaborators were also being directed from Afghanistan, and the suicide bomber was identified as an Afghan national.”
General Sharif conveyed the army’s strong condemnation of “this despicable act of terrorism” and emphasized that they are “taking all necessary measures to apprehend its facilitators and bring them to justice.”
He recounted incidents such as the BLA terrorist attack on the Mach FC camp in January 2024, which was bravely repelled by security forces, resulting in the martyrdom of four soldiers, including two policemen, and the elimination of 24 terrorists. Similarly, on March 16, 2024, a South Waziristan checkpost was targeted, leading to the martyrdom of seven soldiers, including Lt Colonel Kashif and Captain Ahmed, and the neutralization of six terrorists.
In response to these attacks, Pakistan conducted counter-attacks in Afghanistan’s border regions, targeting terrorist safe havens. Eight terrorists involved in various terror acts in Pakistan were eliminated in these operations. Additionally, on March 25, another soldier was martyred in a terrorist attack in Turbat, while four terrorists were neutralized.
The DG ISPR mentioned the apprehension of a terrorist named Habibullah, who confessed to carrying out terror activities in Pakistan during an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Pishin district on April 23.
In 2024, security forces have undertaken a total of 13,135 small and major Intelligence-Based Operations (IBOs) against terrorists and their facilitators. This resulted in the elimination of 249 terrorists and the arrest of 396 individuals. The Pakistani armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, and other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) are conducting over 100 operations daily against terrorism.
May 7, 2024
Source: Dawn