RAWALPINDI : Director General (DG) Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar on Thursday congratulated the nation on the 73rd independence day of the country and said that importance of independence should be asked from the mothers of occupied Kashmir who bury their young sons wrapped in the Pakistani flag. Addressing a press briefing, the DG ISPR said that Indian occupied Kashmir is facing a lockdown from the past one year and there is no cruelty left that the Kashmiris have not suffered at the hands of the Indian forces. “Their political leadership is behind the bar for past one year, pellet guns are being used against the peaceful protestors along with extrajudicial killings of the youngsters,” he shared the injustices faced by the Kashmiris. While paying tribute to their struggle for independence, Major General Babar Iftikhar said that Pakistan has raised the issue at all international forums. “Even the UN Secretary-General has termed it necessary to resolve Kashmir issue for the peace in South Asia,” he said. The DG ISPR said that the Indian forces have committed ceasefire violations at Line of Control, targeting innocent civilians in the cross border shelling.He said that the new map of the country was the reflection of their intentions. “We are ready to defend the country even if India gets 500 Rafale jets, he said while responding to Indian threat,” he remarked. Speaking over the Pakistan-Saudi Arabia relationship, the DG ISPR termed it historic and said they have strong and brotherly relations between the two countries and would remain forever. “Army chief [General Qamar Javed Bajwa] is going on a scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia,” he said while responding to a query during a presser. Strongly denying any truth behind the claims made by Ehsanullah Ehsan, a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan leader who acted as its spokesperson and claimed responsibility for some of its deadliest attacks, escaped from Pakistan’s custody during an operation, the DG ISPR said. The ISPR DG was responding to a question about a recently leaked audiotape of Ehsan in which he claimed he was kept by the Pakistan Army at a safe house in Peshawar and ran from there using a cab-hailing service. “The comments made in the tape are absolutely baseless,” Major General Iftikhar said. The interior ministry has also said that he escaped while we were using him for an operation. “He was in our custody and the information he gave helped us dismantle the terrorist organisations he was working for,” said the spokesperson. “I leave it to the better judgement of everyone to decide why he made such claims.”
Building Resilience After Crisis
The monsoon season is almost here, and with it comes the worry of flash floods, urban flooding, and the ensuing...
Read more