Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar, addressing the media on the occasion of counter-terrorism operation Raddul Fasaad completing four years, said the nation and the armed forces faced security challenges in a unified manner.
He said that the strategic intent of Operation Raddul Fasaad was to ensure a peaceful and stable Pakistan. The spokesperson said the armed forces and the masses have been successfully facing national security challenges and will continue to tackle them as a nation in the days to come.
Elaborating further on the operation, he said the grand strategy of Pakistan’s war against terrorism was based on the “clear, hold, build and transfer” doctrine. He added that various areas were cleared of terrorists after major operations in the clear and hold phase, with Operation Raddul Fasaad being the start of the build and transfer phase. “During this, it was our responsibility to make hard-earned gains irreversible.”
The military spokesperson said the operation was initiated against terrorist elements at a time when the terrorists were seeking refuge in the urban and other areas of Pakistan after the military dismantled their infrastructure in the erstwhile tribal areas.
“Operation Raddul Fasaad was launched with a two-pronged strategy involving the counter-terrorism domain and counter-extremism.”
As we move ahead, we are going to overcome the remaining security threats with better use of techniques and technology, he said.
"You will see more positive developments in the near future. So far, more than 0.3 million intelligence-based operations have been conducted across the country," the DG said."Maj Gen Iftikhar further said that "the country has been yielding the dividends and positive outcomes of Operation Raddul Fasaad."
He highlighted that following the operation, more than 5,000 people of the tribal areas have been reintegrated into the national mainstream.
"The areas where there was only unrest are now witnessing economic activities flourish."
The purpose of the operation was to neutralise terrorists who had attempted to bring the country to a standstill, reiterated Maj Gen Babar.
"As many as 1,684 cross border incidents occurred during the operation, while Operation Khyber 4 was also conducted during the period. The armed forces also had 450 personnel martyred during the operation."
"Two personnel of the forces embraced martyrdom while 199 sustained injuries while dismantling landmines during Raddul Fasaad," said the military spokesperson elaborating on de-mining efforts in the tribal districts after the completion of combat operations in the region.
When asked about the cyber warfare realm and organised disinformation networks against Pakistan, Maj Gen Babar said "steps are afoot to offer an equal resistance".
The DG added that as a result of the successful operation in Karachi, normalcy returned to the city. "The city was at the sixth place in the international crime index, and now, it is at the 106th slot," he maintained.
Responding to a question, the military spokesperson maintained rumours on social media regarding the appointment of the next DG ISI are "baseless".
"Moreover, the sixth population census was successfully organised following a betterment in the overall security situation."
During the census, seven personnel of the armed forces embraced martyrdom, he added.
