RAWALPINDI: Director General (DG) Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor, said on Tuesday that house arrest of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed is a policy decision of state institutions.
“The state took the decision regarding house arrest of Hafiz Saeed in the national interest, it was a policy decision of institutions, lots of institutions will have to do their jobs,” he said at a news briefing in Pakistan Army’s general headquarters (GHQ).
The DG ISPR emphasised that there was no foreign pressure behind this decision and it was taken in national interest.
Police have placed Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and four other party members under house arrest in Lahore.
Saeed was taken into custody at headquarters of the JuD that is also religious charity group he heads. His four associates are Abdullah Ubaid, Zafar Iqbal, Abdur Rehman Abid and Qazi Kashif Niaz.
Speaking on Pakistan’s relations with India, the DG ISPR said. “India is our neighbour and we do not want war with anyone because war is not the solution to problems.”
Referring to the missing of bloggers in the recent days, he categorically denied of any link with Pak Army in their disappearance, adding if the interior minister had stated anything about the bloggers this does not mean that he had pointed his figure towards intelligence agencies.
Major General Ghafoor said Pakistan wanted to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue but the desire for peace should not be considered a weakness. However, he declared that it is fully prepared and capable of responding effectively to any misadventure by India.
Asif Ghafoor referred to the India’s cold start doctrine and its acknowledgement by new Indian Army Chief and said Pakistan is ready to face any aggression.
He said recent successful testing of Babar-3 and Ababeel missiles is reflective of Pakistan’s resolve to defend itself.
Major general Asif Ghafoor said India carried out 945 ceasefire violations on Line of Control and Working Boundary during the last three years. In the last four months alone, India resorted to 314 violations resulting into martyrdom of 46 civilians. He said forty Indian troops were also killed in befitting response by Pakistan.
He said Indian violations and drama of surgical strike were part of the well thought out plan to divert attention from brutalities against people in Occupied Kashmir.
Replying to questions, Major-General Asif Ghafoor said detention of Hafiz Saeed is a policy decision taken in national interest.
Giving details about operation Zarb-e-Azb, he said so far over twenty-six thousand intelligence based and combing operations have been carried out in North Waziristan and Khyber Agency.
He said during the last six years, there have been 21839 martyrdom and over forty-nine thousand injuries of the countrymen in the war against terror.
He said Pakistani army was looking after its soldiers in the best manner and pointed out that officers are always ahead of their troops in fight against terrorism. He said the martyrdom ratio was one officer to nine soldiers.
The Director-General said security situation has considerably improved in KPK, Tribal Areas and other terrorism afflicted areas of the country. He said 84% of those who left their homes at start of operation Zarb-e-Azb have returned back. He said the process of repatriation of those who shifted to Afghanistan from border areas has also begun.
He said it is our desire that situation on other side of the Durand Line also improves so that Afghan refugees return to their homeland on their own.
Major-General Asif Ghafoor said 29 additional wings of FC have been raised to enable it to perform security duties effectively. He said as a result of Zarb e Azab the situation on Pak-Afghan border has improved and this would certainly benefit Afghanistan.
He said Pakistan has paid special attention to border management and referred to the setting up border posts and crossing points He hoped that Afghanistan would also take additional steps to improve security on the border.
In Balochistan, he said, over three thousand intelligence based and combing operations have been conducted. He said they were effectively countering activities of RAW and India-sponsored saboteurs and terrorists in Balochistan. He said 190 personnel of FC and Police have been martyred and 376 injured in Balochistan.
He said the situation in Balochistan is not as bad as it was few years back. He said Balochistan people, FC and other law enforcement agencies and civilian government are working in a coordinative way to further improve the situation.
He said Frontier Works Organisation has completed 870 kilometer roads in different areas of Balochistan.
The Director-General said there has been 90% reduction in incidents of target-killing, terrorism and extortion in Karachi but the street crimes are going on. He said Rangers and Police are coordinating to weed out street crimes in the city.
He said in all about nine thousand operations were carried out in Karachi. Thirty three personnel of Rangers were martyred and more than hundred injured there.
He said the war against terror would continue till complete restoration of peace.
Major General Asif Ghafoor said the national security depends on a number of factors including bravery, patriotism and professionalism of the armed forces as well as national solidarity and a strong democratic system
The Director General ISPR said every citizen of the country has a responsibility to play in the national interest. He however, said that some elements resort to speculations on sensitive issues to hurt the harmony amongst the national institutions. He emphasized the need for strong relationship amongst the state institutions in order to take forward the country on the path of development.
Turning to the situation in Afghanistan, the DG ISPR emphatically stated that Pakistan is not involved in acts of terror in Afghanistan. He said the world itself accepts the sacrifices rendered by Pakistan in the war on terror. He said sanctuaries of terrorists have been eliminated in FATA. Most of the terrorists were killed in the operation while the remaining managed to take refuge in Afghanistan due to non presence of troops on the other side of the border. Leadership of TTP is hiding in Afghanistan.
The DG ISPR said it is the stated policy of Pakistan that it will never allow the use of its territory to be used against any other country.
He said Afghanistan should take steps for improving management of its borders. He said Pakistan desires peace and stability in Afghanistan. We support an Afghan owned and Afghan led reconciliation process for peace in the country.
To a question, DG ISPR said not all the Afghans are against Pakistan but some Afghan elements hostile to Pakistan place responsibility on Pakistan to any incident of terrorism for their own weakness. He said due to contacts with Afghan leadership we can move ahead.
He referred to CO AS’s contacts with Afghan President and offered the proposal of intelligence sharing and bilateral border management. He hoped that Afghanistan would give a positive response.
About the census kick starting from 15th of March, the DG ISPR said about two hundred thousand troops will take part in the exercise. He said the troops deployed for operational duties would continue to perform their job.
