AAMIR SAEED

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan army on Sunday announced to launch an operation named “Khyber-IV” in the Rajgal Valley area of Khyber Agency to wipe out terrorists from the area while denying any direct involvement of the army in the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that has probed the Sharif family in the Panama Papers case.

While responding to several questions about the Panamgate JIT, the DG ISPR said the JIT was constituted by the Supreme Court, and two of its members came from the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence.

“The case is subjudice and it will go to court,” he said, plainly denying any direct involvement of the army in the JIT that has probed offshore assets of the ruling family.

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, however, said that Pakistan army would continue playing its role towards the security of the country with other institutions.

“The armed forces have launched a major offensive in the Rajgal valley as part of the ongoing Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said in the press conference.

He said that there is no specific timeframe for the operation as it has been started to target the terrorists in the most critical area in Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

About a joint border operation with Afghan forces, he said that Pakistani security forces would conduct the operation and they would have also informed Afghan forces about the launch of the operation Khyber-IV.

The DG ISPR said that Afghan forces may carry out the operation against the terrorists on their side if they wished, but on Pakistani side there would be no other force to conduct the operation except the Pakistan security forces.

He also said that information would be shared with Kabul if the Afghan leadership wished to conduct supporting operations and coordination in this regard.

Pakistan Air Force will also take part in the operation, he said, adding that cross-border movement of terrorists would also be checked during the operation.

“The shared border with Afghanistan and Iran are being fenced,” he said, “No one wants peace in Afghanistan more than Pakistan, but we need to bring peace in our country first.”

About the border management, he said that the border will be physically and technically monitored with a checkpoint every 1.5 kilometers, adding that Pakistan has also been taking numerous initiatives to remove a trust deficit on the Afghan side.

About presence of Daesh in Pakistan, he said that Islamic State (Daesh) has no organised infrastructure in Pakistan, adding that the Daesh is getting stronger in Afghanistan, but these militants may not be the same as in the Middle East.

“We will not allow them (Daesh militants) to establish themselves (in Pakistan),” he said, adding that the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a proscribed outfit in Pakistan, had shown an alliance with the Daesh, and the Pak army is capable enough to deal with them.

About ceasefire violations on the Line of Control by Indian forces, he said the situation on the LoC has been tense with 580 ceasefire violations this year alone.

There were 382 in 2016, 248 in 2015 and 315 in 2014, he said, adding that these ceasefire violations have resulted in the highest number of civilian casualties than the previous years.

The DG ISPR said that Indian forces routinely target civilians in the ceasefire violations unlike the Pak army that always try to keep civilian casualties on the Indian side to a minimum.

He, however, said that the current wave of ceasefire violations by the Indian side seem to be a direct result of the ongoing political struggle against the Indian forces occupation in the Indian-held Kashmir.

The DG ISPR said that the army has conducted 46 major operations and over 9000 intelligence-based operations in the country under the operation Radd-ul-Fasaad while around 1,760 joint checkpoints have been established in coordination with the police and other law enforcement agencies.

Giving a breakdown of the operations, he said that 13 major operations were conducted in Baluchistan that have resulted in decreasing trend in sectarian attacks.

The sectarian attacks in Balochistan have decreased from 201 in 2013 to only two this year so far, he said, adding that security personnel and different soft targets in the province have become new targets for the militants.

In Sindh, 522 terrorists have surrendered under the operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, he said, adding that 15 terrorists had been killed in operations in the province and this all has resulted in 98 percent decrease in terror incidents and 97 percent decrease in targeted killings.

In Punjab, a total of six major operations were conducted with coordination of the police and Counter-Terrorism Department, he said, adding that over 7,000 intelligence based operations have been conducted, and 22 terrorists killed in these operations.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 27 major operations and 817 intelligence-based operations have been conducted to eliminate terrorists and militants, he said.

The DG ISPR also termed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) an important project for the progress of Pakistan, adding that the armed forces would give it complete security and would not let it fail at any cost.

To a question about Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, he said that his mercy appeal is pending before the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

“All evidence and case proceedings are being examined by the army chief, and he will make a decision on the basis of merit and justice,” he said.

During the press conference, the DG ISPR also read out a message from the Chief of Army Staff that said, “we are building peace in our country brick by brick and moving from relative stability towards enduring peace. For this, the army should continue to perform its role with support of all other state institutions.”