ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa said on Friday that there were no safe havens for terrorists in Pakistan, stating that the country’s military had conducted decisive operations against militants of all hue and colour.
Speaking to a nine-member delegation of Afghan media, the army chief said that terrorists are the common enemy of all against which a trust-based coordinated response is required rather than blame game, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)
General Bajwa said that Pakistan Army had conducted operations against militants and terrorists without any discrimination.
“There are no safe havens for terrorists in Pakistan nor is Pakistani soil being used for terrorist activities inside Afghanistan,” he told the visiting delegation.
General Bajwa said that efficient and proper border management between Pakistan and Afghanistan was the need of the hour. He emphasized the need for an effective management system along Pak-Afghan border for which Pakistan has taken effective measures on its side including fencing and establishment of new border forts and posts.
He said that Afghanistan was a brotherly Islamic country and also Pakistan’s neighbor, adding that media can play a vital role in mitigating the negativity created by inimical forces.
The Afghan media delegation thanked the army chief for his time and very candid discussion. They acknowledged that such interactions were very useful to understand each other and that they were carrying back home a facts-based positivity through this tour.
Published in Daily Times, August 26th 2017.
