Army has nothing to do with politics, says DG ISPR

LAHORE – Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Babar Iftikhar strongly condemned the recent wave of hearsay claiming Pakistan Army’s backdoor contacts with Pakistan Democratic Movement for making any intervention into political matters.

In his response to the speculations raised by the PDM leadership to a private news channel, the DG ISPR said army has nothing to do with politics. He said those maligning the army’s role in this regard are advised to abstain from making such statements.

He said Army has the biggest responsibility of security and safeguarding the motherland and is busy in dispensing its duties in this regard. Major General Babar Iftikhar categorically denied any indirect contact with any political leader. He said it is inappropriate to comment on political matters and linking it to the Army without any proof and all such hearsay must come to an end now.

“The people who are making speculations, I requested them previously as well (and) I will tell them again: do not drag army into politics,” the ISPR chief said. The armed forces already have their hands full with the huge responsibility of looking at security, internal and external threats, Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said. 

He said that such speculations should be shut down and if someone has evidence to support claims of backdoor contacts, they should bring it forward. “I would again request please don’t drag the institution into this dialogue,” he reiterated.

Chinese vaccine

Major General Babar Iftikhar also spoke about a donation of vaccine doses to the Pakistan Army by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). He said that the military leadership has decided that the vaccine, which was meant to be administered to army personnel, will be donated to the ongoing national vaccination drive so that Pakistan’s frontline workers can be given this vaccine. In the first phase of the vaccination drive, the vaccine is being provided to frontline health workers.

Pakistan Army continues search operation to find missing mountaineers

Maj Gen Iftikhar termed frontline health workers as the real heroes of the nation whose tireless efforts and sacrifices helped the nation in fighting this pandemic. He also thanked the PLA for its magnanimous gesture.

Action against terrorists

The DG ISPR further said that a recent United Nations report acknowledged the ongoing efforts of the Pakistan government against elements involved in terrorist activities. “We had already presented evidence a long time ago about the regrouping of these terrorist organisations, who is supporting them, how they are collaborating, and how they are harmful for the entire region,” Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said.

“In my opinion, India has been exposed to a considerable extent. We have talked about this, I have informed [the nation] through my pressers. I was also in the presser with the foreign minister at the Foreign Office [where] a dossier was presented in front of the whole world.” It is a good thing, the massive acknowledgement of what we have been trying to say and hopefully the world is going to take notice of this.”

Missing mountaineers

The ISPR chief hailed Mohammad Ali Sadpara, a mountaineer who has been missing for the past three days along with two others, as a “national hero” and assured that the Pakistan Army will continue its search and rescue operation in order to find him and his companions.

“For the last two days as well, army helicopters have been flying there at their maximum ceiling and due to the worsening conditions, could not go beyond a certain level. Today too, the search and rescue mission has been sent for the third day,” he shared.

He acknowledged that it was a “very challenging mission” which was made more difficult by weather conditions. After reports that Sadpara, along with John Snorri from Iceland and JP Mohr Prieto from Chile, successfully summited K2, news emerged that the three had gone missing.

The three lost contact with the base camp late on Friday and were reported missing on Saturday after their support team stopped receiving reports from them during their ascent of the 8,611m-high K2. Search and rescue operations have been underway since then, but they have not been traced yet.