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Tag: army

  • Army orders to investigate EX-ISI chief Faiz Hameed, journalist Kamran Yousaf reports

    Army orders to investigate EX-ISI chief Faiz Hameed, journalist Kamran Yousaf reports

    Pakistan army has formed a high-level inquiry committee to investigate alleged accusations to investigate former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hameed for allegedly misusing power while serving as the director-general of ISI, journalist Kamran Yousaf has reported.

    People familiar with the development said that the investigation has been conducted at the directions of the Supreme Court (SC) and the Ministry of Defence.

    Faiz Hameed was appointed as DG-C in ISI and later became the head of the intelligence agency. His name was involved in multiple controversies, including the Faizabad Dharna case. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also accused him of engineering his removal from office in 2017.

    However, the Pakistan Army has decided to investigate the case through a high-level inquiry committee. “A high-level inquiry committee has been constituted under a Major General, which will look at every aspect related to this matter in detail.”

    ‘There is a strict and highly transparent system of self-accountability in the Pakistan Army, and by promoting this system, all such allegations are investigated with great seriousness, and those responsible are also given severe punishment so that the self-accountability of the Pakistan Army is maintained,” Express TRIBUNE reported.

  • Army, Punjab police will investigate Bahawalnagar incident together: ISPR

    Army, Punjab police will investigate Bahawalnagar incident together: ISPR

    Pakistan Army and Punjab Police announced on Friday that they will work together to investigate the incident where masked men in military clothing attacked cops in Bahawalnagar. The decision came after short video clips of the incident went viral on social media.

    The military’s media wing stated that a recent unfortunate incident happened in Bahawalnagar. The military and police authorities worked together to promptly address and resolve the situation.

    “Despite this, certain factions with vested motives started fanning vitriolic propaganda on social media to create divisions between state institutions and government departments,” the statement read.

    “To ensure a fair and deliberate inquiry, and to determine responsibility for violations of laws and misuse of authority, a joint inquiry comprising security and police officials will be conducted for ascertaining the facts and apportioning responsibility,” it concluded.

    Earlier, on Wednesday, the Punjab Police condemned the “fake propaganda” being spread on social media websites after videos emerged showing cops being assaulted by Pakistan Army officers in Bahawalnagar.

  • Viral video ‘exaggerated, out of context’, police issues statement after social media pressure

    Viral video ‘exaggerated, out of context’, police issues statement after social media pressure

    On Wednesday, the Punjab Police condemned the “fake propaganda” being spread on social media websites after videos emerged showing cops being assaulted by Pakistan Army officers in Bahawalnagar.

    “This matter in Bahawalnagar, which went viral on social media, has been taken out of context and exaggerated,” the police said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

    The footage caused calls for concern from various quarters including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Hammad Azhar who said that the matter in Bahawalnagar was very concerning and that the government was treating the incident as “trivial”.

    “When the unverified videos went viral, both institutions launched a joint investigation. Officers from both institutions reviewed the facts and peacefully resolved the matter,” the police said in a statement.

    “Punjab Police and the Pakistan Army are cooperating to eliminate terrorists, miscreants and criminals from the province. We request that social media users do not spread fake propaganda,” concluded the statement by Punjab Police.

    On April 8, an FIR was registered after ASI Naeem was on petrol with other cops and came across two individuals who fled after seeing them. One person was arrested and a gun without licence was also seized from him.

    When they tried to arrest the other suspect who fled from the scene, he had called his relatives and resisted arrest even dragging a constable inside his home while beating him. Naeem said negotiations to recover the constable failed and police backup was also called.

    Around 20 people threatened to kill the police, opened fire and took another constable and SHO Abbas as hostages.

    Furthermore, many videos came to surface on social media showing army officials beating and torturing cops in public.

    The police statement did not give details on what transpired between the men in the video.

    However, in a turn of events, an FIR was registered station on April 10 against four police officials under Section 342 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) which declares “punishment for wrongful confinement” and Section 155C which gives penalties to police officers for misconduct under the Police Order 2002.

    This FIR was registered after instructions were issued to carry out legal proceedings against the four.

    The now newly appointed SHO said that the previous police officers misused their authority and exhibited “high-handedness”.

  • Army releases 20 PTI workers arrested in May 9 riots

    Army releases 20 PTI workers arrested in May 9 riots

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has approved the release of 20 convicts involved in the May 9 riots by granting them a special relaxation.

    The Chief allowed the convicts to go free before Eid-ul-Fitr, leading to their release on April 6 and 7.

    The list released by the Army showed that among those freed, are eight residents of Rawalpindi, three from Lahore, five from Gujranwala, three from Dir, and one from Mardan.

    None of the convicts had completed their sentences and were released only on the orders of COAS.

    Violent clashes and riots had erupted across the country after the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan.

    On December 23, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan had allowed the resumption of military trials.

    The released convicts had stayed in custody for various periods up to 10.5 months.

  • UN chief ‘deeply troubled’ by reports Israel using AI to identify Gaza targets

    UN chief ‘deeply troubled’ by reports Israel using AI to identify Gaza targets

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday expressed serious concern over reports that Israel was using artificial intelligence to identify targets in Gaza, resulting in many civilian deaths.

    According to a report in independent Israeli-Palestinian magazine +972, Israel has used AI to identify targets in Gaza — in some cases with as little as 20 seconds of human oversight.

    Guterres said that he was “deeply troubled by reports that the Israeli military’s bombing campaign includes Artificial Intelligence as a tool in the identification of targets, particularly in densely populated residential areas, resulting in a high level of civilian casualties.”

    “No part of life and death decisions which impact entire families should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms,” he said.

    The +972 report claims that “the Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human oversight and a permissive policy for casualties.”

    The report said that, according to “six Israeli intelligence officers”, a system dubbed Lavender had “played a central role in the unprecedented bombing of Palestinians, especially during the early stages of the war.”

    “According to the sources, its influence on the military’s operations was such that they essentially treated the outputs of the AI machine ‘as if it were a human decision’,” +972 reported.

    Two sources said “the army also decided during the first weeks of the war that, for every junior Hamas operative that Lavender marked, it was permissible to kill up to 15 or 20 civilians”.

    If “the target was a senior Hamas official… the army on several occasions authorized the killing of more than 100 civilians,” it added.

    The Israeli army, known as the IDF, on Friday rejected the claims.

    “The IDF does not use an artificial intelligence system that identifies terrorist operatives or tries to predict whether a person is a terrorist,” it said.

    Instead it has a “database whose purpose is to cross-reference intelligence sources… on the military operatives of terrorist organizations” to be used as a tool for analysts, it added.

    “The IDF does not carry out strikes when the expected collateral damage from the strike is excessive,” it said, using a term that includes civilian casualties.

    Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 33,091 people since October 7, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry.

    The United Nations has warned of imminent famine in the besieged territory.

    Israel began hyping AI-powered targeting after an 11-day conflict in Gaza during May 2021, which commanders branded the world’s “first AI war”.

    The military chief during the 2021 war, Aviv Kochavi, told Israeli news website Ynet last year the force had used AI systems to identify “100 new targets every day”, instead of 50 a year previously.

    Weeks into the latest Gaza war, a blog entry on the Israeli military’s website said its AI-enhanced “targeting directorate” had identified more than 12,000 targets in just 27 days.

    An unnamed Israeli official was quoted as saying the AI system, called Gospel, produced targets “for precise attacks on infrastructure associated with Hamas, inflicting great damage on the enemy and minimal harm to those not involved”.

    But an anonymous former Israeli intelligence officer, quoted in November by +972, described Gospel’s work as creating a “mass assassination factory”.

    In a rare confession of wrongdoing, Israel on Friday admitted a series of errors and violations of its rules in the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza, saying it had mistakenly believed it was “targeting armed Hamas operatives”.

    Alessandro Accorsi, a senior analyst at Crisis Group, said the +972 report was “very concerning”.

    “It feels very apocalyptic. It’s clear… the degree of human control is very low,” he told AFP.

    “There are a thousand questions around this obviously — how moral it is to use it — but it is hardly surprising it is used,” he said.

    Johann Soufi, a human rights lawyer and former director of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA’s legal office in Gaza, said the +972 article described methods that were “undeniably war crimes”.

    They were “likely crimes against humanity” in view of the high civilian casualties, he added on X, formerly Twitter.

  • Khawaja Asif says General Bajwa ne lamba dhoka dia tha

    Khawaja Asif says General Bajwa ne lamba dhoka dia tha

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said on Hamid Mir’s show that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa “gave an ultimatum to me that if I condemn Mian Nawaz Sharif’s narrative then all the cases of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against me would go away.”

    Hamid Mir asked the minister whether all three major parties including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz were directly involved in extending the tenure of the then-COAS, so how could he expect the establishment to stay out of politics.

    Asif replied that it was a mistake and that politicians must have a consensus on upholding the dignity of constitution of Pakistan.

    Hamid Mir inquired of the minister why he agreed to extend Gen. Bajwa’s tenure despite being threatened. The minister humorously responded that Gen. Bajwa provided ultimatums only after securing his extension successfully.

  • Ex-Army Chief Bajwa threatens PML-N’s Khawaja Asif

    Ex-Army Chief Bajwa threatens PML-N’s Khawaja Asif

    Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif revealed on Shahzeb Khanzada’s show last night that former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa threatened him that he would hold a press conference against him after the minister’s criticism about the previous army chief’s policy of rehabilitating Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants back into the country.

    Khawaja Asif pointed out that when the former army chief previously gave a briefing to the parliament,
    “A rosy picture was painted that if the Taliban were to return to Pakistan, it would usher in a new era of peace and brotherhood.”
    He further said “Its not wrong or blasphemous of me to suggest that they return to the same forum and explain.”

    Asif said that he did not insult anyone by asking that Bajwa and Gen (ret.) Faiz Hameed be summoned before the national parliament to give a briefing about their flawed policy. He reiterated, “What Pakistan is currently going through is basically a ‘continuity’ of that infamous briefing that the ex-generals gave us.”

    When the anchor asked him whether he received any advice from his party to stay away from this topic, he replied that they did not, and it is a matter of principle for him.

  • General Syed Asim Munir presides 262nd Corps Commanders’ Conference

    General Syed Asim Munir presides 262nd Corps Commanders’ Conference

    General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of Army Staff (COAS) presided over the 262nd Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) held at GHQ, today. Forum paid rich tribute to the supreme sacrifices of Shuhadas including officers and men of the Armed Forces, Law Enforcement Agencies and the citizens who have laid their lives for ensuring peace and stability in the country.

    Forum resolved that terrorists, their facilitators and abettors, working on behest of hostile forces to destabilise Pakistan, will be dealt with full might of the state. COAS stated that Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are sacrosanct and inviolable. Pakistan believes in peaceful co-existence with all states, however, there would never be any compromise over country’s sovereignty, national honour and aspirations of Pakistani people.

    The forum was briefed on the callous Indian campaign of extra-territorial and extra-judicial killings, perpetuating state-sponsored terrorism and targeting Pakistani citizens. The forum agreed that blatant violation of international laws by India and its real face be exposed to the world. The international community has already shown serious concerns over the criminal behaviour of India and its use of state apparatus for killing spree around the world.

    The forum reiterated unequivocal support for Palestine and the people of Gaza while noting the extremely negative fallout of the conflict and the potential to spill over in the wider region. The immediate need for a permanent ceasefire and enduring solution to the Palestinian question was unanimously recognised. In the same vein, Pakistan’s resolve to support the people of IIOJK for their right of self determination was reiterated.

    Pakistan would continue to morally, politically and diplomatically support Kashmir brothers and sisters till justice is served in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions. The forum also discussed deployment of Pakistan Army to assist Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the peaceful conduct of General Elections 2024.

    Pakistan Army will perform assigned duties as per the Constitutional mandate, under the guidelines of ECP. No one would be allowed to indulge in violence in the name of political activity and sabotage the quintessential democratic exercise of conduct of free and fair elections. The forum acknowledged and appreciated the steps taken against spectrum of illegal activities and criminal mafias including smuggling, hoarding, money laundering, power theft and illegal aliens. The participants emphasised that such actions and their positive impact on the economy and well being of the people need to continue without any let up. The forum was briefed on operational preparedness of the formations. COAS asked formation commanders to continue their focus on the training, administration and morale of the soldiers.

  • Army to be deployed for ‘free and fair’ February 8 polls

    Army to be deployed for ‘free and fair’ February 8 polls

    The caretaker federal cabinet on Tuesday approved a summary requesting the deployment of the Pakistan Army and civil armed forces troops to help civil institutions in ensuring the conduct of free, fair, and peaceful general elections scheduled for February 8.

    The development occurred during a huddle between the caretaker cabinet and caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar.

    According to the statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, “The troops will perform duties in sensitive constituencies and polling stations and will also act as a rapid response force.”

    The federal cabinet unanimously approved the deployment of Pakistan Army and civil armed forces personnel at sensitive polling stations across the country for the upcoming general elections, based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Interior.
    The Pakistan Army also promised to provide essential assistance for the upcoming general election set to take place on February 8 next month.

    Soldiers, along with Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel, will perform election duties.

  • ‘Social media is being used to create environment of chaos,’ says General Asim Munir

    ‘Social media is being used to create environment of chaos,’ says General Asim Munir

    In a recent address at the National Farmers Convention in Islamabad, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir expressed concern over the rampant spread of fabricated claims against the state of Pakistan on social media.

    “Social media is being used to create an environment of chaos, despair, and panic. Through fake news, an impression is being created that the state is losing its [writ],” the army chief said in an address to the National Farmers Convention in Islamabad on Friday.

    Pakistan, like many other nations, is grappling with the challenge of fake news on social media, where unfounded reports fueled by emotional appeals are spreading rapidly and contributing to societal divisions. A detailed report earlier this year by EU DisinfoLab revealed that Indian media outlets were involved in a smear campaign against Pakistan, quoting non-existent organizations, journalists, and bloggers.

    COAS Munir highlighted that such smear campaigns are not limited to external actors, as investigations have revealed the involvement of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in using state resources to spread false propaganda against state institutions.

    Addressing the farmers, COAS Munir addressed the rumors and negative impressions being spread about Pakistan. He emphasized the historical significance of Pakistan, stating that it is founded on the principles of the Kalima, with divine backing for the country.

    COAS Munir reminded the audience of Pakistan’s abundant resources, including glaciers, rivers, mountains, and fertile land producing world-class rice, fruits, and valuable minerals like granite, gold, and copper.

    He lamented that Pakistan, once one of the fastest-growing countries in Asia in the 1960s, witnessed a decline due to forgetting the golden principles of faith, unity, and discipline advocated by the Quaid-i-Azam.

    Moving forward, COAS Munir discussed the Green Pakistan Initiative, highlighting its focus on boosting agriculture. He assured that a major chunk of the initiative’s income will go to the provinces, while the rest will be kept for farmers and agricultural research, he said, noting that the “role of the army in this is only to serve the people and farmers”.

    COAS Munir pledged to ensure easy agricultural credit, a cold storage chain, climate change-resistant seeds, and genetically engineered livestock for farmers.