Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar has said that the Indian military leadership is using propaganda and fake news in order to deflect attention from their atrocities in Kashmir.

In his first press conference of the year, the military spokesperson said the day was very important as it was on this day in 1949 that the United Nations promised the people of Kashmir the right to self-determination. "That promise remains unfulfilled to this day," he added.

Talking about the situation on the eastern border, he said that the ceasefire agreement that was signed with India had been beneficial for the locals who live along the line of control (LoC).

However, he said that India was jeopardizing regional peace by peddling fake news and false propaganda, including blaming Pakistan after carrying out fake encounters in the parts of the Kashmir valley occupied by Indian forces.

"They recently staged a fake encounter in Neelum Valley in Kirin sector, in which they killed an innocent Kashmiri man and blamed it on Pakistan," he said, adding that the Indian media ran pictures of the alleged terrorist identified as Shabbir. "The man is alive and at his home in Sharda."

Pak-Afghan border fencing issue

The DG ISPR, while discussing the issues related to the Pak-Afghan border, said that 94% work along the border has been completed whilst on Pak-Iran border, seventy one percent work on the fencing has been achieved.

Emphasising the importance of fencing on the Pak-Afghan border, he said that it was important for the security of people on both sides of the border as well as to regulate trade activities.

"It is not aimed at dividing the people but securing them," he asserted.

He added that the border management system with Afghanistan will be made more effective with the passage of time.

The DG ISPR said 67 new wings of Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan and Frontier Constabulary (FC) Khyberpakhunkhwa were established in the year 2021 to further strengthen the border security. He said the process has also been started to establish six more wings.

TTP ceasefire agreement

Talking about ceasefire with Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the DG ISPR said that now there is no ceasefire agreement with the banned organization and the operations are continuing.

He said that the talks with banned TTP are on hold.

On the achievements made under Radd-ul-Fasaad Operation in the year 2021, the DG ISPR said that 60,000 intelligence based operations were carried out that helped dismantle terrorist networks.

He said that on the basis of 890 threat alerts issued by the intelligence agencies during this period, about 70% possible terror threats were averted.

The DG ISPR said Pakistan Army is providing security to CPEC and other development projects. Expressing satisfaction over the progress on the CPEC project, he said those trying to sabotage it will fail in their nefarious designs.

The DG ISPR said that no armed person or group can be allowed to take law into their hand.

Major General Babar Iftikhar regretted that an organized campaign has been started against different institutions of the country over a period of time. He said the aim of this campaign was to create a gulf between the government, the masses, the institutions and the armed forces.

He added that the armed forces draw their strength from the people and all efforts to drive a wedge in this relationship would meet failure.

Deals and speculations

Repsonding to a question about PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif's possible return to Pakistan on the basis of a "deal", Major Gen Iftikhar said that it was "baseless speculation". He added that it was better to put such questions to those who are making claims of the deal.

He said that those who are spreading these baseless speculations should be asked that who was going to make deal.

He responded in a similar vein to a question about the possibility of Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa getting an extension.

"It wouldn't be befitting for me to comment on speculation," he said while urging media to also do the same.