Current Final

Tag: ISPR

  • Legal action to be taken against Imran’s anti-state speech, PM Shehbaz Sharif

    Legal action to be taken against Imran’s anti-state speech, PM Shehbaz Sharif

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has decided to take legal action against former PM Imran Khan’s speech during a rally in Abbottabad held on Sunday. PM Shehbaz termed Khan’s address a grand conspiracy against Pakistan.

    PM Shehbaz said those concocting a narrative against national institutions were the real Mir Jaffars and Mir Sadiqs. He said the state of Pakistan, the Constitution of Pakistan, and the respected institutions of Pakistan were challenged by Imran Khan in Abbottabad on Sunday.

    Shehbaz said what Khan was doing could only be categorised as a conspiracy, not politics and this conspiracy was not against any political rivals but against the country.

    “Pakistan cannot be surrendered and compromised over one person’s ego, arrogance, and blatant lies. Imran first conspired to destroy the economy of the country and is now planning to trigger a civil war in Pakistan”, said the premier.

    PM Shehbaz pledged that these nefarious designs of Imran Khan would be crushed. “Imran is this era’s Mir Jaffar and Mir Sadiq who wants Pakistan to face the same fate as Libya and Iraq,” added Shehbaz.

    The premier went on to say that Imran Khan was digging holes in the very boat he is riding and biting the hand that feeds him.

    “The people of Pakistan, the Constitution, and the institutions of Pakistan are not slaves of Imran Niazi, nor can he hold them hostage.” He slammed Imran’s speech and said he would not be allowed to become the Hitler of Pakistan.

    ‘Extremely damaging’, army condemns practice of defamatory remarks about them

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a press release on Sunday, noted that “intensified and deliberate attempts have recently been made to drag Pakistan Armed Forces and their leadership by some political leaders, journalists and analysts into the ongoing political discourse in the country”.

    The military’s media wing termed this practice as “extremely damaging”.

    “This practice of unsubstantiated, defamatory and provocative statements/remarks is extremely damaging,” the ISPR condemned while adding that army takes “strong exception to such unlawful and unethical practices”.

    “These attempts are manifest through direct, insinuated, or nuanced references to the armed forces as well as their senior leadership, made by some political leaders, a few journalists and analysts on public forums and various communication platforms, including social media”, the statement reads.

    Moreover, it said that the army “expects all to abide by the law and keep the armed forces out of political discourse in the best interest of the country”.

    Since the episode of the removal of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, on several occasions, the establishment has urged the public not to drag them into political matters and clearly said that there is no involvement from their side in politics.

    The statement came hours after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s statement about the concept of neutrality, saying that God hadn’t permitted human beings to remain neutral when the time comes to stand up for justice and support the good.

    This is not the first time that Khan has made such comments. He once claimed that only animals can stay neutral and that humans either side with good or evil.

  • Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Exclusive: PM Shehbaz says next army chief will be appointed as per rules, regulations

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called the PM House a ‘Jamhoori House’ (Democratic House) and said that his government believed in media freedom. In an interaction with journalists at the PM House on April 26, Sharif said that the previous government was not just incompetent and corrupt but had damaged the country’s economy and foreign relations. PM Shehbaz talked about several issues.

    New army chief

    PM said that he has the constitutional right to appoint a new army chief. He added that he will appoint the new army chief as per the constitution and rules and regulations when the time comes for his appointment. This was in response to a question about the appointment of a new army chief since General Bajwa will not take an extension as per DG ISPR.

    Pak-US relations

    While answering a question about Pakistan’s relationship with the US, PM said that the US is a superpower so we need to maintain good relations with them. “Amreeka dushmani hamaaray waaray nahin” (we cannot afford enmity with the US). He added that we need to do some stock-taking regarding Pak-US ties and improve relations with the US.

    Foreign Policy

    Talking about foreign relations, PM Shehbaz said that the previous government had alienated allies and friends. “How can we say that we can raise the Kashmir issue without Saudi Arabia?”

    PM said that the members of the previous government had lied about loans on 8% by China apart from allegations of corruption against Chinese investment by Pervez Khattak and several others in PTI. “China helped us get rid of load shedding by investing in power plants.”

    Saudi Visit

    PM will be visiting Saudi Arabia tomorrow (April 28-30) on the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. PM Shehbaz said that he is likely to meet the Saudi leadership during his visit.

    Load shedding

    He said that there there is no other reason for frequent load shedding other than the negligence of previous government for not buying LNG and furnace oil on time. He also criticised the previous government for its baseless allegations against the LNG contract signed by the previous PML-N government. He said that Qatar must have been amazed that instead of thanking them for such a good deal, PTI indulged in “ilzaam taraashi” [allegations].

    Economic crisis

    “Pakistan is going through one of the most difficult times. We are trying to take the country in the right direction. We have seen how Japan and Germany rebuilt their economies after tough times. We have the examples of South Korea and Bangladeshi economies too. Once upon a time, Pakistan had a better per capita income than China but look at us now. Our currency was better than India’s. When India was ahead of us in the steel industry, we were ahead of them in textiles.”

    “There is no point crying over spilt milk but now it is time to rebuild our economy,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that it will be a difficult challenge but is not impossible to bring back our lost place in the comity of nations by strengthening our economy. “Rome was not built in a day.”

    “If we were economically strong, our foreign policy would have been stronger.”

    PECA

    The PM was asked if roll back of PECA was on the cards, to which he said that his government believes in freedom of media and media will not have to face any curbs but they need to differentiate between truth and fake news. “Media should highlight our mistakes. We welcome that. But it should not spread fake news.”

    Missing files

    When asked that there are reports that some files have been taken by the previous government from the PM House regarding sugar scandal and other scandals, Shehbaz said that if he is given evidence about the missing files, he will find them.

    Accountability

    He said that in the name of accountability, there will be no revenge. “Ehtesaab ke naam par intiqaam nahin leinge,” said PM Shehbaz. He said that businessmen say they will not invest here because the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will either arrest them or harass them. “Businessmen kehte hain ya NAB giraftaar kar leinge ya zaleel kareinge unko.”

    Elections

    The PM said that we will go for elections after carrying out necessary reforms, especially electoral reforms.

    Threat letter

    PM Shehbaz said that the National Security Committee meeting issued a clear statement that there was no conspiracy. “The punchline of the statement was that there is no saazish, no conspiracy.”

    Shehbaz said that if the threat letter was received on March 7, why did the PTI government talk about it on March 28? “March tak moonh mein taalay kyun laga kar baithay thay?” He asked when did the previous government turn this letter into a conspiracy. “When they knew they were going to lose in parliament. There is no question of a conspiracy whatsoever.”

    Karachi attack


    “The attack in Karachi University is a huge tragedy where three Chinese nationals died. China is our friend. I went to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for solidarity,” said PM. He added that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah will go to Karachi on Wednesday (today) and help and coordinate with the Sindh government. “After our Saudi visit, we will hold a comprehensive meeting on security.”

    Afghanistan

    Afghanistan is not just our neighbour but our “baraadar mulk” (brother country). “If there is peace in Afghanistan, there will be peace in Pakistan. What is good for Afghanistan is good for Pakistan.”


    PTI resignations

    PM said that they have found out that many resignations were taken by force from PTI MNAs and were not given voluntarily. “We will know the truth when the legal process has been completed.” He was asked whether the government could convince PTI to take back its resignations to be an effective Opposition.

    PTI long march

    While answering a question about Imran Khan’s call for march to Islamabad, PM said that if they won’t do anything unlawful, nothing will happen to them but he won’t allow anyone to spread anarchy on the roads.

    Pak Army

    The PM said that the Pak Army has given a lot of sacrifices for this country. “It is wrong to say anything negative about Pakistan’s army. It is condemnable,” said the PM when responding to a question about social media trends against the army.

  • Three Pak army officers, three soldiers embrace martyrdom in UN Peacekeeping mission

    Three Army Officers and three soldiers were martyred including two other UN Peacekeepers from Russia and Serbia in a helicopter crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) on Tuesday.

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) released a statement that stated, “Pakistan Aviation Unit is deployed in UN Mission Congo on peacekeeping duties since 2011. On Mar 29, 22 while undertaking a reconnaissance mission in Congo, 1 PUMA Helicopter crashed.”

    According to the mission, “the causes of this disappearance are not yet known. Research is ongoing.”

    ISPR released the names of the martyred who are Lt Col Asif Ali Awan, (Pilot), Maj Saad Nomani (Co-Pilot), Maj Faizan Ali, ​​N/Sub Sami Ullah Khan (Flight Engineer), Havaldar Muhammad Ismail (Crew Chief), and L/Hav Muhamad Jamil (Gunner).

    Earlier on Tuesday, the UN Stabilisation Mission in DR Congo (MONUSCO) tweeted that they had ‘lost contact’ with one of its helicopters in which eight UN peacekeepers were on board. They were on a reconnaissance mission in the area of Tshanzu, southeast of Rutshuru in North Kivu Province, an area which has been the scene of recent fighting between government troops and rebel group M23.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan also expressed his “deep sense of shock and grief”, the Prime Minister’s office stated.

  • Pakistan approaches UN while US says missile incident is anything other than an accident

    Pakistan approaches UN while US says missile incident is anything other than an accident

    Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the Indian parliament that the country is conducting a review of its standard operating procedures (SOPs) for operations, maintenance and inspection of weapons systems, reports Dawn.

    “We attach the highest priority to the safety and security of our weapon systems. If any shortcoming is found, it would be immediately rectified,” the Indian defence minister added.

    The statement came after an Indian “accidental” missile launch at Pakistan that fell in Mian Channu, Khanewal district on March 9. After two days, the Indian government released a statement in which they said the missile accidentally was fired due to a technical malfunction.

    An Indian media reports claim that India informed Pakistan about this “accidental firing” soon after it happened. However, Pakistan said that India failed to inform Islamabad about the accidental launch immediately, and waited until after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced the incident about “high-speed flying object” and sought clarification from New Delhi.

    Meanwhile, Foreign Minister (FM) Shah Mahmood Qureshi approached United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Qureshi briefed Guterres on the matter and stressed that this needs to be addressed by the international community, including the UN Security Council (SC). Qureshi briefed Guterres on the matter stressed that this needs to be addressed by the international community, including the UN Security Council (SC).

    US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price on Monday said there is “no indication” that India launched a missile attack on Pakistan. He said that it was “anything other than an accident”. He also advised the journalist [who asked the question] to reach out to the Indian Defence Ministry for a follow-up.

    “I’m not familiar with that particular incident. What I would say is that nuclear safety around the world, especially in countries — nuclear-armed countries, is always a conversation that is ongoing,” Price added.

  • Indian government says missile fired at Pakistan accidentally due to technical malfunction

    Indian government says missile fired at Pakistan accidentally due to technical malfunction

    The Indian government has released a statement about a “high-speed flying object” that fell in Mian Channu, Khanewal district, saying that it accidentally got fired due to a technical malfunction.

    The statement from the Indian Ministry of Defence says, “The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry.”

    “It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident.”

    Earlier this week, an object crashed in Mian Channu. On Thursday, Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major-General Babar Iftikhar said, “A high-speed flying object was picked up inside the Indian territory by Air Defence Operations Centre of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). From its initial course, the object suddenly manoeuvred towards Pakistani territory and violated Pakistan’s air space.”

    In his briefing he also said that “Whatever caused this incident to happen, it is for the Indians to explain”, adding that the incident could have resulted in a major aviation disaster.

  • Pakistan Army promotes two Hindu officers to Lieutenant Colonel

    Pakistan Army promotes two Hindu officers to Lieutenant Colonel

    The Pakistan Army has promoted two Hindu officers, Kelash Kumar and Aneel Kumar, to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel for the first time in the history of Pakistan.

    Dr Kelash Kumar belongs to the Tharparkar district in Sindh province and Dr Aneel Kumar belongs to the Badin district.

    They are the first officers from the Hindu community who received a promotion from Major to Lieutenant Colonel.

    They both are serving in the Medical Corps of the Pakistan Army.

    Prior to the year 2000, Hindu officers were not appointed to senior positions in the Pakistan Army. However, a former dictator, General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf had issued orders under a decree appointing Hindus to senior positions in the Army. Since then, six Hindu officers have risen to the rank of Major, of which Kelash Kumar and Aneel Kumar have now become the first officers to reach the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

    Dr Kelash was honored with a ‘Medal of Defense’, on his courage as he performed a 36- day duty at the Saddle Checkpost in Baltoro Sector near K2 at an altitude of 22,000 feet, which is a record in itself.

    Major Dr Kelash got a commission in Pakistan Army in 2007. He joined a hospital in North Sudan as a senior doctor in 2012. He later took part in Operation Al-Mizan in Orakzai Agency of Waziristan and Operation Rah-e-Rast in Swat.

    Major Dr Aneel Kumar got a commission in Pakistan Army in 2008.

    Until now, six Hindu Army officers have been appointed in Pakistan Army.

    Hindu activist, Kapil Dev took to Twitter to celebrate the inclusivity of the Hindu community in the Armed Forces.

    He said, “History in Making Kelash Kumar becomes the first #Hindu officer to have been promoted as Lieutenant Colonel in #PakArmy. Congratulations, Kelash!!!.”

  • Pak army successfully stops terror attacks in Balochistan, heavy terrorist casualities

    Pak army successfully stops terror attacks in Balochistan, heavy terrorist casualities

    Two separate terrorist attacks have been successfully repulsed by the Pakistan Army in Balochistan’s Panjgur and Noshki.

    In a press release, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said “both attacks have been successfully repulsed while inflicting heavy casualties to terrorists”.

    According to the ISPR, terrorists were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan. They said that after the Taliban’s takeover we were told that attacks from the war-torn neighbour will stop but they have increased.

    The attacks occurred late Wednesday evening, resulting in four soldiers embracing martyrdom and killing 15 terrorists. The terrorist tried to enter a security forces’ camp from two locations. The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks.

    Today’s incidents are the latest in a string of attacks in Balochistan and come a week after ten soldiers were martyred in a terrorist attack on a security forces’ checkpost. Similarly, an incident occurred on January 30, when 17 people were injured in a grenade attack in the province.

    Following the news, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, in a tweet, said that the nation stands united behind the security forces of Pakistan.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has also issued a statement, praised the services of the security forces.

  • 10 soldiers martyred in terrorist attack on checkpost in Balochistan’s Kech

    10 soldiers martyred in terrorist attack on checkpost in Balochistan’s Kech

    Ten soldiers were martyred after terrorists attacked a security forces’ check-post in Balochistan’s Kech district, informed Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    According to the statement issued by ISPR, the “fire raid” by terrorists occurred on the night of January 25-26.

    “During intense exchange of fire, one terrorist was killed and several injured. While repulsing terrorists’ fire raid, 10 soldiers embraced martyrdom,” read the statement.

    “The armed forces are determined to eliminate terrorists from our soil no matter what the cost,” the ISPR statement said.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan paid tribute to the martyred soldiers. “I salute the 10 martyred soldiers who repulsed a terrorist fire raid on checkpost in Kech Balochistan. We are resolute in our commitment to rid Pakistan of all forms of terrorism.”

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “The graveyards of Jhelum smell of the blood of these martyrs.”

  • Pakistan Navy thwarts Indian submarine’s attempt to enter Pak waters: ISPR

    Pakistan Navy thwarts Indian submarine’s attempt to enter Pak waters: ISPR

    Pakistan Navy has once again thwarted an attempt by an Indian submarine to enter into Pakistani waters.

    The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the incident took place on October 16, adding that the Indian naval submarine has been prematurely detected and tracked by the PN Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

    “During the prevailing security milieu, a strict monitoring watch has been kept by Pakistan Navy to safeguard maritime frontiers of Pakistan,” says the ISPR statement.

    The ISPR pointed out that this is the third incident of its kind wherein an Indian submarine has been “prematurely detected and tracked by PN Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft”.

    “The recent incident reflects the deplorable Indian machinations vis-à-vis the commitment and resolve of the Pakistan Navy to defend maritime frontiers of the motherland,” said the ISPR. 

  • Lt Gen Faiz Hameed posted as Peshawar corps commander

    Lt Gen Faiz Hameed posted as Peshawar corps commander

    Lieutenant (Lt) General Faiz Hameed, formerly the director-general of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been posted as the Peshawar Corps Commander, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in an announcement.

    It has not yet been announced who will replace Gen Faiz as the ISI chief.

    ISPR announced two other postings as well. Lt Gen Mohammad Amir has been posted as Gujranwala Corps Commander while Lt Gen Asim Munir has been appointed as the Quarter Master General.

    Nadeem Ahmad Anjum has been appointed as the DG ISI.