ALI HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir on Wednesday rejected the US President Donald Trump’s allegations of terrorists’ ‘safe havens’ in Pakistan, saying the country has been taking actions against all type of militant groups without any discrimination.
He was responding to a call attention notice in the Senate, as Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif will also give a policy statement to the House today (Wednesday) on the US President Donald Trump’s ‘formal address to the American nation as commander-in-chief’ in which he lambasted Pakistan allegedly for offering “safe havens” to “agents of chaos.”
“Pakistan has been in the forefront in the war on terror and military actions have taken against terrorists of all shades without any discrimination through operation Zarb-e-Azab earlier and now operation Radd-ul-Fasad, including intelligence based operation throughout Pakistan,” the defence minister said.
“As a result of these operations, there is no safe haven of any terrorist organization anywhere in Pakistan,” he stated in categorical terms without giving any reference to President Trump’s address to the American nation.
Referring to the statement by the US intelligence chiefs during US Senate Armed Service Committee meeting that India may launch aggressive action inside Pakistan on the pretext of stopping cross-border attack, he said that India’s perceived claims of launching aggressive actions inside Pakistan to stop cross-border attacks is based on falsehood.
In fact, he added, India has been continuously violating the ceasefire across Line of Control (LoC) and has been targeting innocent Pakistani civilian population time and again, resulting in loss of life and property of the population living along the LoC. He said that Pakistan’s armed forces are giving proportionate and befitting response to the Indian troops’ firings and shelling.
The defence minister said that the indiscriminate shelling on the LoC does not auger well for peace and stability of the region. “While Pakistan does not desire escalation of tension, but we reserve the right to take all necessary measures to protect the life and property of the populous living along the LoC,” he added.
“India knows from the ground realities about the consequences of these actions and in our assessment [India] will not opt for any misadventure. Let me assure this House in clear and no uncertain terms that any aggression by India will be responded effectively by Pakistan armed forces backed by the people of Pakistan,” he stated in categorical terms.
Earlier, the House admitted identical adjournment motions moved by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed and Azam Swati to hold discussion on the President Trump’s address to American nation in which he also announced his administration’s new Afghan policy.
Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, while admitting the motions, said that Trump’s statement is of outmost importance and directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make arrangement for a comprehensive briefing to the House.
Responding to another call attention notice regarding the incident of firing by the Afghan security forces on a census team operating inside the residential areas of Pakistan in Chaman, Balochistan, Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir said in the May this year Afghan forces resorted to open fire on census team which was well inside the Pakistani territory.
He said that Afghan security forces occupied two Pakistani villages on May 05, 2017 and the issue was taken with Afghan government. When the census team approached the Pakistani villages, they were fired upon by the Afghan forces and the fire exchange continued till 14 hours, he added.
He said that a ceasefire was enforced at the night of May 05, 2017, but again Afghan border police resorted to shelling on civilian population of Chaman, resulting in loss of 13 civilian lives.
However, he said that Pakistani forces regained the occupied villages, adding two Pakistani soldiers also embraced martyrdom and 13 others got injured. He said that the two villages were now under the Pakistan’s sovereignty.
