Director General Inter-Services Public Relations, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said the state of Pakistan is committed to engaging directly with the people of Balochistan to ensure sustainable development in the province.
Addressing a news conference in Rawalpindi on Friday, he stressed the need to empower the people of Balochistan instead of appeasing “sardars” or the elite.
The Director General ISPR said the security forces are taking out the terrorists of Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij everywhere, in the mountains and plains. He said the armed forces have an obligation to protect the honour, property and lives of each and every citizen of Pakistan. He made it clear that those who nurture and support terrorism will have to pay the price for their deeds.
The DG ISPR said thousands of kinetic operations have been conducted to eliminate terrorism and such operations are still continuing. He said these operations are carried out in unison with the Balochistan Police.
Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry highlighted that over three hundred Indian websites are working on fomenting terrorism in Balochistan. He said fifty-four percent of the propaganda comes from India.
Talking about the terrorism-crime nexus, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said operations have been conducted against illegal economic activities that are harming the country’s economy.
He said smuggled goods worth billions of rupees have been seized during these operations. He added that narcotics worth eighteen billion rupees have also been recovered. He said certain elements are frustrated by these actions because terrorist groups have strong links with smuggling networks. He emphasized that a strong state cannot allow such illegal activities to continue.
The Director General ISPR said a number of development projects worth billions of rupees are underway in Balochistan. Mangi Dam, Kachhi Canal and the Pakistan Expressway are the key projects.
He said fifty-two dams have been completed under the 100 Dams Project, while seventy billion rupees are being invested in socio-economic development projects across the province.
He said sixteen new educational institutions and two healthcare facilities are being established every month. He added that substantial investment is also being made to promote shrimp farming. He said farmers are being provided loans under the Balochistan Green Initiative.
The Director General ISPR said FC West is being established to safeguard the mineral corridor from Chagai to Karachi.
He said the capacity of the Balochistan Police is also being enhanced through the provision of modern training, advanced techniques, state-of-the-art equipment, and forensic laboratories.
Referring to kinetic operations, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that, of the 40,348 intelligence-based operations conducted across the country this year, more than 31,000 have been carried out in Balochistan. He said 3,145 terrorist incidents were reported in the province during this period, while 2,084 terrorists were killed. More than eight hundred Pakistanis, including security forces personnel, embraced martyrdom.
He said twenty-eight suicide attacks were carried out during the period, most of them by Afghan nationals.
He reiterated that the State has made it categorically clear that there will be no dialogue with terrorists. He said they must surrender to the writ of the State in accordance with the law and the Constitution.
Answering a question, the Director General ISPR said that good governance is quintessential for the security and stability of Pakistan. He stressed the need to strengthen governance, including through the creation of new administrative units. However, such matters should be debated and decided by the political leadership in accordance with the Constitution and the will of the people.
Responding to another question regarding the demands of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee in Azad Kashmir, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that Kashmir remains the unfinished agenda of the Partition of the Subcontinent. He said all issues should be resolved in accordance with the law and the Constitution, adding that no one can be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
