Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday ruled out any talks with terrorists, rejecting the false impression of deteriorating security situation in Balochistan.
Addressing a press conference on counterterrorism and the country’s security situation, he said that some of the elite and Sardars (tribal leaders) in Balochistan did not want children from poor families to progress.
“We will not talk to you; we will talk to the people of Balochistan,” he added.
The ISPR chief said that Pakistan was not a hard state if the Constitution and law were not equal for every citizen.
“Are we a hard state? No,” the DG ISPR said, adding that a hard state meant one where the Constitution and law were equal for everyone.
“It [hard state] does not mean the military is running the state,” he said.
According to the ISPR DG, a sustained negative propaganda campaign was being waged against the state on the pretext of the situation in the province.
Turning to the issue of missing persons, the chief military spokesperson said the commission on missing persons had received 201 applications.
He questioned the composition of the missing persons list, saying that individuals killed during counterterrorism operations were later found to be listed as missing persons.
He said that those present in militant camps could also be found on the missing persons list.
Addressing the situation in Balochistan, he said the province’s geography and terrain were also challenges.
He said Balochistan’s population was 14.89 million and distances between posts extended across large areas.
He further said that specific elements were involved in worsening conditions in the province, saying some groups were involved in activities including terrorism, robbery, drug trafficking and diesel smuggling.
The ISPR DG said the people of Balochistan were the province’s real stakeholders. He added that security forces were targeting militants and carrying out operations against them.
The military spokesperson ruled out further negotiations with terrorists, saying there was no room left for talks.
“Either you surrender, or we will fight you,” he said.
The military’s spokesperson began his presser by giving a breakdown of the operations conducted against terrorists during the ongoing year.
According to Lt Gen Chaudhry, security forces carried out 40,348 operations, killing 2,084 confirmed terrorists, while an average of 10 militants were eliminated daily.
Presenting an overview of the security situation, the ISPR DG said that security forces conducted an average of 194 operations every day. He added that 1,971 operations were carried out alone in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The military spokesperson said 2,084 confirmed terrorists were killed during the operations, averaging 10 militant deaths each day.
As many as 819 people embraced martyrdom during the ongoing year, including 303 army personnel, 194 law enforcement personnel, and 322 civilians, he said.
According to the ISPR DG, a total of 28 suicide attacks were recorded across the country, with Afghan nationals responsible for the recent attacks in KP’s Tank and Karachi.
Missing persons issue
Lt Gen Chaudhry said figures regarding missing persons are often presented inconsistently, with claims ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 individuals.
Speaking on the issue, the DG ISPR said that a commission had been established to address cases of missing persons, and that applications had been submitted to the body for investigation.
He stated that the commission received 2,900 applications from Balochistan, adding that the identities of 2,700 individuals mentioned in those cases had since been established.
The military spokesperson further said that many of the militants killed during security operations were found to be among those previously reported as missing persons.
He also highlighted the security situation in Balochistan, saying there had been 105 incidents targeting police and Levies personnel.
According to the ISPR DG, the province recorded 178 martyrs, 55 abductions and the destruction of 24 bridges.
