Pakistan Army on Wednesday dropped a clear hint at starting a trial of terrorist Ehsanullah Ehsan linked to the defunct Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj General Asif Ghafoor said that former TTP commander’s fate will be decided “as per law”.
Ehsanullah Ehsan, who recently surrendered to the army, had made headlines in the media following his confessional video released by the ISPR.
In his video confession, Ehsan publicly admitted that Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) and India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) were funding and helping the TTP and its affiliates to carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan.
However, a subsequent interview to be aired by a private television channel had triggered criticism as the victims of terrorism dubbed the move a ploy to turn the terrorist into a hero.
Addressing a media briefing here, Ghafoor, while responding to a question, clarified that Ehsanullah Ehsan’s confessional video was aired in a bid to expose enemy designs against Pakistan.
Rejecting the notion that the military wanted to present Ehsan as a hero, Ghafoor said the former TTP commander’s fate will be decided as per law.
Responding to a question about cross-border shelling in Chaman, the DG ISPR said that the villages where the skirmish happened are divided between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He reiterated that both civilian and military authorities across the border had been notified of the census.
“They [census team] were going to the Afghan police to speak about the headcount and that’s when they were fired upon … We are neighbouring countries and share brotherly relations. There should have been no exchange of fire … but when they opened fire, we had to come up with a befitting response,” he added.
About a strong statement by the Iranian army chief, the DG ISPR said that Iran and Pakistan have decades-old brotherly relations and all matters would be resolved amicably.
Speaking on recent accusations by India regarding the mutilation of two of its soldiers by Pakistani troops, Ghafoor reiterated Pakistan Army’s “professionalism”, saying Pakistani troops would never disfigure a dead soldier in any case.
Recalling past incidents where Indian soldiers had crossed over inadvertently to the Pakistani side of Kashmir, he pointed out that the army followed a planned and structured protocol to return these soldiers to India with dignity.
If we were the type of an army that mutilated soldiers, why we would be following such protocols, he argued.
In reply to a question about the Operation Raddul Fasaad, the DG ISPR said the matter of Naureen Leghari was clear cut as the army had rescued her before she was going to turn into a terrorist.
“She has been moved to a de-radicalisation centre … the army has been working to de-radicalise youth for at least three years now. They’ve transformed into responsible citizens, earning a living for their parents and contributing to the society at large,” he said.
