ISLAMABAD:
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that there is credible evidence that illegal Afghan nationals were involved in terrorism and serious crimes in Pakistan.
In an interview with a German magazine, the DG ISPR said Pakistan hosted millions of Afghan refugees for 40 years. He said that Pakistan made elaborate arrangements for the dignified return of Afghan refugees to their country.
He said that Pakistan extended the deadline for the return of Afghan refugees to their country multiple times on humanitarian grounds. The main reasons for giving refuge to the Afghan refugees were foreign interference and civil war, which no longer exist, he said.
The DG ISPR said that American weapons left behind after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan are being used in terrorist activities in Pakistan. Even the US has also expressed concern over the use of these weapons in terrorist activities, he added.
In response to a question, Sharif said that violent incidents in India were the result of the Indian government’s increasing extremist policies. India always presents its internal issues as external and external issues as internal problems, he said.
The DG ISPR said that India was involved in terrorist activities in Pakistan under state sponsorship, adding that there is credible evidence of serving Indian army officers’ involvement in such activities. Pakistan has also presented evidence of Indian terrorism to the international community multiple times, he remarked.
When asked about the Kashmir issue, he urged the international community to play its role in resolving the longstanding dispute. He emphasised that Pakistan rejects all non-state actors across the board.
He said there is no room for any armed groups in Pakistan, adding that no group or individual other than the state has the authority to declare jihad.
The DG ISPR said that Pakistan has not only played the role of a frontline state in the war against terrorism but has also made immense sacrifices.
During the recent Pakistan-India conflict, Marka-e-Haq, US President Trump played a strategic leadership role. The US has declared the banned Majid Brigade a global terrorist organization, he said.
In response to another question, the DG ISPR said Pakistan has constructive and strategic relations with its brotherly country China.
He said that several terrorists killed in Balochistan were included in the list of so-called missing persons.
