Daily Times

LONDON: Pakistan Army on Saturday said the July 25 general elections were the most transparent and free in the country’s democratic history, with army ensuring that people vote according to their will on the polling day.

“There had been a record turnout in various parts of the country. Voters made their own choice and were not told who to vote for or against,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor told Pakistani media at an informal interaction here. “The allegations of rigging had been hurled at the armed forces of the country but no evidence was brought forward,” he said. “If anyone has evidence of rigging, then it should be brought forward,” he remarked.

The ISPR chief said Pakistan Army wants to strengthen democracy in the country, and believes that only democracy is the way forward. “We have provided full support to the democratic institutions and we will work to make sure that democracy continues in Pakistan,” he said, adding the army always stands by institutions, not individuals. He also called upon all the institutions to stand by each other and work together for the development of the country.

When asked about polarisation and political divisions in Pakistan, Major General Ghafoor said no country in the world is free of political differences. “The beauty of democracy is that political differences exist. Pakistan has the same but differences should be ethical and without abuses and attacks. Through the power of vote, first the PML-N governed, then the PTI and in the future, it may be someone else,” he said.

The ISPR chief lamented that it was unfortunate that the army had been dragged in some matters. “Pakistan Army is an organised institution. We have to strengthen all other institutions including the police and bureaucracy,” he said. Citing the example of the United Kingdom, he said that police is more powerful than the army and the same could happen in Pakistan as well. “The army can fight terrorists but this is the job of the police. But our army has been doing the job of the police for many years,” he said.

According to Major General Ghafoor, police and judicial reforms were important and it was the government’s responsibility to bring reforms and introduce legislation. However, he said today’s Pakistan was better than yesterday’s Pakistan, adding, “We are heading towards better circumstances.”

The ISPR chief said Pakistan Army had no role in the ongoing process of accountability in the country as well as the campaign against corruption. “We have our hands full on the eastern and western border; the army is to maintain the security of the country,” he said. “Army has its own stringent mechanism of accountability and it’s the most robust and toughest. It happens at various levels and no one is above accountability,” he said.

The ISPR chief emphasised Pakistan’s success in the war against terrorism. “We are the only success story in the Muslim world in terms of what we have achieved. 76,000 people have laid down their lives for peace and stability in Pakistan,” he said. Due to the war against terrorism, systems in Pakistan eroded. “Every institution has to work within a policy parameter. When systems are strong the country will prosper. We need to correct our systems. In the last five years, however, these systems have started working well,” he said.

Major General Ghafoor spoke of incidents of terrorism diminishing in the country and the crime rate decreasing in Karachi. “There used to be 2-3 blasts a day, but the situation is much much better now. Karachi has come down in the crime index,” he said.

He said the PML-N government had listened to each and every demand of the Pakistan Army and provided funds for fencing of the porous border with Afghanistan. “The PML-N government approved the operation against militancy and fully cooperated with army,” he said.

The military spokesman also spoke on the role of international media and how positive stories about Pakistan were not carried and the negativity was instead highlighted. “A case in point is reforms in FATA. We have not seen any objective story in the western press about this, but reports keep coming up on alleged human rights violations.”

Major General Ghafoor categorically stated that the surgical strike was just a myth and India was running lies to discredit Pakistan. “We have the power to retaliate within 10 minutes if any misadventure is carried out. There should be no doubt about that,” he asserted.

He said the freedom movement in Kashmir is indigenous and does not have external support. “Independence of Kashmir is in the DNA of Kashmiris. Movement for freedom is completely independent. India knows it well that there is no interference from Pakistan, Kashmiris are fighting for the war of their survival and India knows that Kashmiris will win and the struggle. They are freedom fighters and not terrorists,” he added.

The DG ISPR said that Pakistan Army has no issue with the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) but there are concerns about the way it’s operating and the message it is trying to portray to mislead Pakistanis. He said the PTM leader is a Pakistani who has studied at an army school. “The issue is wider and beyond an individual. Pakistan Army has made unprecedented sacrifices in FATA by coming to the area and clearing it of terrorists. We cannot forget that it’s in these areas that Pakistanis and its armed forces were attacked and football was played with the remains of the deceased. Where were all those people when terror was being unleashed from these areas? There was no hue and cry then but now that we have made these areas safe and secure, our enemies are doing their best to sow seeds of discord amongst Pakistanis. We understand that Manzoor Pashteen has no power to organise these protests abroad and we do know who is behind these protests and what the sources of funding are,” he said.

Commenting on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the ISPR DG said the initiative will strengthen country’s economy and that it is the responsibility of the armed forces to provide security to the project.

He dispelled the impression that seven former army generals were outside of Pakistan. He said former chief of army staff General (r) Raheel Sharif was in Saudi Arabia on a contract approved by the government. He said General (r) Pervez Musharraf was out of Pakistan because he came into politics. “It is a fact that he [Musharraf] is an army general but the army has nothing to do with his politics.”

Published in Daily Times, October 14^th 2018.