All communication channels between the Indian and Pakistani militaries remain open in wake of tensions that have gripped the South Asian nations over the disputed Kashmir region, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Asim Bajwa has said.
In an interview with Chinese news agency Xinhua, he emphasised the importance of resolving the current tension with India through dialogue.
DG ISPR said all channels of communication including the hotline between the two militaries were open, adding that the UN Military Observer Group in Pakistan and Indian also monitor the situation.
According to Lt. General Bajwa, the armies of Pakistan and India were in contact, as he confirmed that DGMOs of both countries had spoken over the phone after India had violated the Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire.
The DG ISPR said it was India which had violated the 2003 LoC ceasefire agreement and then made a false claim of conducting surgical strikes. Lt. General Bajwa added that since September 29, Indian forces had fired into Pakistani side on a daily basis. He further said that on Wednesday, Indian fire was at a maximum with over 25,000 rounds being fired with small arms.
“What we see is that there is more intensified firing along the LoC, and of course, when there is more fire, the situation does escalate. The environment also escalates when there are more rhetoric and more statement and more pronouncements” by the Indian side, Bajwa was quoted by the news agency.
Lt. General Bajwa stressed that Pakistan wanted peaceful relations with all its neighbours. He added that this policy was followed by every element of power in the country.
No more terrorist hideouts in Pakistan
The DG ISPR also spoke of Pakistan being completely cleared of any physical hideouts of terrorists.
“I can confirm that there is presently no physical hideout of the terrorists on the Pakistani soil,” said DG ISPR Lt Gen Asim Bajwa, adding that areas in North Waziristan including the mountainous Shawal Valley near the Afghan border and Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency had been cleared.
Lt Gen Asim Bajwa said 3,500 terrorists have been killed and 992 terrorist hideouts have been destroyed in the military operation. 546 Pakistani soldiers were martyred and 2,285 injured in the offensive.
To a question about terrorists’ trials in special military courts, the DG ISPR said a total of 166 cases have been finalised by the courts, 107 have been given death sentences and 12 convicts have been executed after the completion of the legal process.
The special military courts were established after the Taliban attacked an army-run school in Peshawar in December 2014 and killed 140 students and teachers in the notorious terrorist attack.
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