Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, head of the Pakistan Army's public relations department, called former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's alleged dealings with the ruling circles "baseless speculations" and said that those who are making such statements should seek evidence. Should
In his press briefing on Wednesday, a journalist asked the military spokesman that in case of a deal with former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, not only his return to Pakistan but also the news of his return to the government was circulating which was strengthened by the words of both government and opposition. Has been
On this, Major General Babar Iftikhar said that all these are 'baseless speculations'.
"If anyone is talking like this, I would ask you to ask them who is doing the deal, what are the motives, what is the proof that the deal is being done," he said.
A military spokesman said that if anyone was saying such a thing, they should ask him for details.
"I am very clear (in this regard) that these are all baseless speculations. The less (discussed) it is, the better for this country. "
Civil-military relations
On another question regarding civil-military relations, Major General Babar Iftikhar said that Pakistan's Armed Forces are a subordinate body of the Government of Pakistan and operate under its orders, nothing more.
He said there was no need to speculate further.
In the evening, every TV program says that the Establishment did what it did. I request that the Establishment be kept out of this debate. Keep us out of it, keep the organization out of it, and don't discuss it. "
He said that there are other important issues in Pakistan that need to be discussed such as health, education, infrastructure, population growth, and agriculture.
"We will continue to fight the TTP."
Major General Babar Iftikhar said, "There is no ceasefire with the TTP. We will continue to fight until we get rid of this fistula."
"As you know, the ceasefire agreement expired on December 9. As far as negotiations are concerned, they are still suspended, and operations are ongoing. Talking to these non-state militants at the request of the current Afghan government was an attempt to build trust.
He said that after August 15, before the new interim Afghan government, the Pakistani government had stipulated that the TTP would not be allowed to use Afghan land against Pakistan.
So the request was made by the Afghan government in this context and it was said that they would bring them to the negotiating table and Pakistan's conditions would be met. Terms and conditions have not yet been set.
General Babar Iftikhar said, "As you know, the TTP is not a united group. They also have internal differences. Therefore, some problems arose, some conditions were put forward by us which could not be compromised. So there is no ceasefire at the moment, we are fighting, we are fighting them, we are operating every day and we will continue to do so until we get rid of this fistula.
"The fence will be complete, it will stand."
Major General Babar Iftikhar on the recent controversy over the fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border said that the fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border involves the blood of Pakistani 'martyrs', it will not only be complete but also established. Will remain
"The purpose of this (fence) is not to divide the people, but to make them safe. It is a fence of peace, it will be completed, and it will last, God willing. "
The spokesman for the Armed Forces further said that under the border management, the fencing work on the Pak-Afghan border is almost 94 percent complete and it is time to regulate the security, movement, and trade of the people living on both sides. Desperately needed
It is to be noted that since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, videos have been circulating on social media in which the barbed wire installed for security at the border can be seen uprooted.
The videos have been followed by statements from the Afghan Taliban stating that they do not recognize the Durand Line. However, Afghan Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on Wednesday that the Taliban government believed in understanding, dialogue, and good relations with its neighbors to resolve the issue, and therefore called the issue "diplomatic". It will be resolved as
On Wednesday, the DG ISPR said that in order to curb rumors, misunderstandings, and spoilers, one-on-one incidents (damage to the fence) occurring locally must be dealt with tolerantly and with utmost care. The main goal, that is, is to make peace possible.
He said that there was full coordination between the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan in this regard.
He said that a major operation was carried out in North Waziristan in the year 2021, as a result of which full state writ on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has been restored.
"It was an area with the most difficult weather conditions and inaccessible areas that allowed terrorists to move on both sides of the border and that is why the fencing work could not be completed here, which is now complete. It has been done. '
He said that the sudden withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the consequent situation had a direct impact on Pakistan's security and the ongoing work under the management of the Western Frontier would be completed within a specified period. Will arrive
He said that there are more than 1200 posts on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border while there are only 377 posts on the other side (Afghanistan). This means that there is a distance of seven to eight kilometers between one post and another. As a result, it becomes difficult to check any kind of sabotage from the other side (Afghanistan).
What's in the fence videos?
Various videos are circulating on social media in this regard, two of which are apparently about the Pak-Afghan border with Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Mohmand district of Pakistan.
A video is said to have been made in the Afghan province of Nimroz near the Pak-Afghan border. Recently, a video has surfaced in which a barbed wire is being pulled out with a truck. This video was made at night.
Pictures of some areas have also been shared on social media in which rolls of barbed wire can be seen. Sources from the Mohmand district of Pakistan had said that the fence was torn down by Afghanistan from two places. One is in the Goshti area of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, and the other is in the Pelosi area, where a government school is also visible.
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The Afghan Taliban are talking in a video shared by Afghanistan in which they say that this is the area of Upper Pelosi and the agreement was reached during the time of former President Ashraf Ghani and Government Primary School Pelosi Mohmand has been built here. And this is the territory of Afghanistan.
Similarly, on Twitter, a local Afghan journalist shared a video of a spokesman for the Taliban government's Ministry of Defense in which he was speaking in Persian about the fence on the Pak-Afghan border. The spokesman said that the installation of the barbed wire increases the distance between the two nations and this fence is against global and regional principles.
The video, released last week, also features regular Afghan intelligence officials.
The first video and photos on Twitter showed some Afghan security personnel carrying barbed wire and a large number of barbed wire lying on the ground. The makers of this video were saying to each other, "Bring the right wires, then the other person says that they have brought all the wires."
Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwari claimed in his tweet that the special forces were led by Taliban intelligence chief Dr. Bashir. The tweet said that according to Afghan soldiers, these barbed wires have been installed inside Afghanistan.
Statements on the matter?
The Foreign Office of the Taliban government said on Wednesday that in the wake of recent incidents of fencing off parts of the Durand Line border, Afghan and Pakistani authorities needed to hold talks to find a solution to such problems. ۔
Afghan Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said the Taliban government believed in understanding, dialogue, and good relations with its neighbors, so the issue would be resolved "diplomatically".
Last Sunday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said during a press conference that "Pakistan is not silent on the issue of tearing down the barbed wire by the Taliban on the Pak-Afghan border."
"We have erected a fence and insha'Allah our efforts will continue," he said. Afghanistan is our friendly neighbor, we have an engagement with them and we will, God willing, remove all the confusion that has arisen through diplomatic channels.
"Some people want to raise this issue and we think it is not in Pakistan's interest to raise it. But we will protect our interests," he added.
Earlier, Bilal Karimi, an official at the Ministry of Information in Afghanistan, told the BBC that no formal statement had been made on the matter, but that there had been some minor incidents at the border. These are being addressed and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is trying to ensure that the territory of Afghanistan is not used against any country.
He said that efforts were being made to resolve these issues.
Durand Line
The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is difficult and long and according to the officials, it is a difficult task to constantly monitor it so fencing on this border will not allow people to cross the border illegally.
The Pak-Afghan border is about 2640 km long and includes long mountain ranges. According to official sources, billions of rupees were allocated for the installation of this fence and under this project, hundreds of small forts or outposts are being built for surveillance on the border, and installation of the modern radar system is also part of this project. Its purpose is to secure the country's borders.
In the past, Afghan officials have opposed the plan, saying it is not right to erect a border fence until the border dispute between the two countries has been resolved.
This is not the first time the dispute has arisen on the Durand Line or the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, but it has been going on for a long time and both countries have their own positions.
Apparently, the border was established after an agreement was reached in 1893 when the subcontinent was under British rule, and this border agreement was made between the King of Afghanistan, Amir Abdul Rehman, and the British official, Mortimer Durand. It will be for a hundred years.
