"It is time Afghanistan and the US do more for Pakistan,"
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif
Ghafoor remarked on Thursday while addressing a press briefing on the
national and regional security situation.
Referring to the United States' (US) demands to act against the alleged presence of terrorist elements in Pakistan,
Maj Gen Ghafoor clarified again that: "No organised infrastructure of
any banned organisation is present in Pakistan. We have fought an
imposed and imported war twice in Pakistan and now we cannot do any more
for anyone."
"Whatever we are doing, and we will do, is
solely for the people of Pakistan. The aid we received (from the US) was
reimbursement for the support we gave to the coalition for its fight
against Al Qaeda. Had we not supported the US and Afghanistan, they
would never have been able to defeat Al Qaeda," he added.
"There
are no facilitators [of terrorist groups] in Pakistan and we have gone a
long way towards supporting peace in the region," Maj Gen Ghafoor
insisted, reiterating Pakistan's stance on the US's repetitive demand
for the country to "do more".
Discussing measures taken
by Pakistan to stop cross-border infiltration of terrorists, Ghafoor
said: "We have started the construction of forts and posts on the Afghan
border for effective border management — what more does the US and
Afghanistan want from us?"
"No country is more interested
in Afghan peace than us, as we know that peace there [Afghanistan]
means peace in Pakistan," the DG ISPR stressing, adding that the US
needs to check India's role in the Afghan region.
"No amount of coercion can work — it is only trust-based cooperation that can bring enduring peace to the region," he said
"What
kind of friends are we that we are being given notices [by the US]?" he
asked, adding that while Pakistan Army was willing to work with its
friends, it cannot compromise on its respect.
Moving on
to the Indian army's recent claims that it infiltrated Pakistan's
borders, Maj Gen Ghafoor said: "India recently claimed that 10 of their
soldiers came in Pakistan's territory and killed Pakistani soldiers. But
this is all false propaganda for their domestic audience to take the
focus off the effective political struggle they are facing for Kashmir's
freedom."
"You cannot lure us into such unprofessional undertakings," the DG ISPR said.
He
also thanked all media outlets for not giving in to Indian propaganda
and running the "false" story regarding Indian infiltration into
Pakistan.
Regarding India's complaints on Kulbushan
Jadhav's meeting with his mother and wife, Maj Gen Ghafoor said: "India
always looks to reduce the relevance of any gestures that Pakistan
makes. However, every effort that anti-Pakistan elements make, we will
counter."
"The Foreign Office has given a detailed
response [to the Indian accusations]. Even if we do something as a good
gesture, the Indian media will colour it in a negative light. We allowed
Jadhav to meet his family as a responsible state — if we were
irresponsible, we would have given in to Indian pressure and allowed
consular access to him," the DG ISPR said.
He concluded: "This will not impact the case at all."
Talking
about the army's presence on the borders, "We have fought well on
western borders despite the threats that linger on the eastern border,
but danger has not subsided yet."
"When we started action in Fata, the troublemakers turned to Balochistan," he observed.
"[However,]
the army took the situation in Balochistan into account and the army
chief presented the Khushal Balochistan programme on November 15," he
said.
He added that the purpose of the programme was to
provide resources to help speed up development, provide security, carry
out action against terrorism, and cleanse the region of separatist
elements.
"As a result of the programme, over 2,000 Baloch nationalists have given up their arms," he stated.
While answering a question regarding Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif's continuous tirade against the armed forces,
Maj Gen Ghafoor said, "We will maintain our silence on the matter as
Pakistan's armed forces are well aware of the threats and challenges we
are facing and our achievements against them; thus we will not be
distracted."
He added: "Political activity is ongoing. It
is for the people to decide for themselves if there is a conspiracy in
the country, and if they believe there is one, they should tell us what
it is."
Discussing Minister for Railway Saad Rafique's
remarks regarding junior officers' apparent lack of commitment to the
army chief's orders, the DG ISPR said, "The statement was extremely
irresponsible and unwarranted, as it targets the chain of command. The
Pakistan Army is a disciplined institution and the army chief's orders
are followed without question."
He added: "The army takes pride in its discipline. These remarks should not have been made."
When asked about former president Pervez Musharraf's recent statements regarding "rogue elements" being responsible for Benazir's death,
the army spokesman 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."
