Tag: military

  • COAS holds a reception for Army veterans, but netizens notice some ‘missing officers’

    COAS holds a reception for Army veterans, but netizens notice some ‘missing officers’

    The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Asim Munir, hosted a reception in honour of Pakistan Army veterans on Independence Day that brought together many retired army officers and soldiers.

    In a press release, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated, “COAS paid heartfelt tribute to the contributions of the retired personnel, lauding their dedication and instrumental role in shaping the nation’s history.”

    “COAS also cautioned against the insidious threat of fake news and propaganda being perpetrated by inimical elements to weaken the bond between the people of Pakistan and the Armed Forces,” said the ISPR press release.

    However, in an interesting development, netizens noticed a peculiar absence of some officers in the pictures circulating on social media.

    Former COAS Gen (retd) Bajwa was not seen in the picture even though Gen (retd) Raheel Sharif and Gen (retd) Kayani were present.

    Likewise, General (retd) Ahmad Shuja Pasha and Gen (retd) Zaheer-ul-Islam were also noticeably absent from the reception.

    This comes after the Pakistan Army arrested former spymaster Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, in charge of corruption and misuse of authority.

  • Military’s stance unchanged about May 9, responsible must be punished: DG ISPR

    Military’s stance unchanged about May 9, responsible must be punished: DG ISPR

    Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmad has stated that the military’s views on May 9 are the same as before, and those responsible for the May 9 events must be brought to justice.

    “There has been no change in that nor there will be,” the military spokesperson asserted referring to the military’s stance about May 9.

    He also recalled last week’s government notification in which the TTP was declared as “Fitna al-Khawarij” for distorting the image of Islam.

    The DG ISPR also warned that those involved in “digital terrorism” will be punished because they want to drive a wedge between the armed forces and the people of Pakistan.

    “The law is not taking its course against it, but the armed forces take it very seriously,” he stated that legal action would be taken against those involved.

    Talking about the recent protests by Baloch Yakjehti Committee, he said, “In the guise of a peaceful march, BYC protestors are committing violence against forces.”

  • Military dismisses ‘unwarranted criticism’ of Azm-e-Istehkam

    Military dismisses ‘unwarranted criticism’ of Azm-e-Istehkam

    On Friday, the military leadership condemned the “unwarranted criticism” of the newly launched anti-terrorism operation Azm-e-Istehkam, stating that the initiative was being “deliberately misrepresented.”

    According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the statement came after the 265th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC), which was held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir in the chair.

    The military wing stated that the new operation is aimed at re-invigorating national counter-terrorism efforts in a synchronized manner to eradicate terrorism in Pakistan.

    The statement by ISPR read, “Forum noted with concern the unwarranted criticism by some quarters and deliberate misrepresentation of the vision, only for furthering their vested interests.”

  • No military operation or evictions under Azm-e-Istehkam

    No military operation or evictions under Azm-e-Istehkam

    Geo News has reported that under the newly announced anti-terror operation Azm-e-Istehkam, security sources have emphasised that there will be no evictions or military operations under the new anti-terror campaign.

    Under Azm-e-Istehkam, a multidimensional strategy would be undertaken to effectively end the menace of terrorism along with effective legislation aimed at ensuring militants are duly punished in the court of law.

    Furthermore, policies would be made to prevent smuggling and drug money from being used to finance terrorism in the country.

    The clarifications came to light after various opposition political parties including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insfaf (PTI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Awami National Party (ANP) voiced serious concerns over the operation’s consequences in the country.

    Last week, the Prime Minister’s Office also clarified that “no large-scale military operation is being launched” that would cause internal displacement of the local population.

  • Timeline of military operations in Pakistan

    Timeline of military operations in Pakistan

    Ever since the War on Terror began, Pakistan has had to conduct multiple military operations to battle with militancy.

    In 2007, the first battle was fought in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Swat district between Pakistani security forces and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

    Parvez Musharraf was the army chief at that time. Following the failure of talks between army and TTP, Musharraf gave the go-ahead to start a military operation named Rah-e-Haq in KP’s Swat district.

    By mid-2007, an organization founded by Sunni Islamist cleric and militant Sufi Mohammad Khan, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah-Mohammadi, had taken over the majority of the district. 

    In November 2007, military forces started an operation to eradicate terrorist elements from Sawat Valley.

    In 2009, the security situation in Swat again became worse when Mullah Fazlullah appeared on the scene. The army started an operation called Rah-e-Rast, which lasted for three months.  

    According to the details of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during Operation Rah-e-Rast, the army killed 2635 militants, detained 254, and wounded 454 others.

    The tenure of former army chief Gen (r) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was full of military operations in tribal areas of the country as the armed forces conducted a military operation named Rah-e-Nijat in 2009 in South Waziristan.

      
    The aim of the operation was to wipe out TTP, including eliminating TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud from the area.

    Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched on June 15, 2014, under the leadership of former army chief Gen Raheel Sharif against multiple militant organization including TTP, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, al-Qaeda, Jundallah and Lashkar-e-Islam in North Waziristan.

    Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad started in 2017. At that time, Nawaz Sharif was the Prime Minister and General Qamar Javed Bajwa was the army chief. The operation’s purpose was to root out terrorism from the entire country.

    Now, the Apex Committee on National Action Plan on June 22, 2024, approved a new operation with the name of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said today that operation Azm-e-Istehkam will be implemented in different areas of Balochistan and KP.

    The purpose of ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ operation is to strengthen the government’s writ in certain areas.

  • BTS star Jin finishes South Korean military service

    BTS star Jin finishes South Korean military service

    K-pop megastar Jin from BTS was discharged from his South Korean military service on Wednesday, AFP reporters saw, the first member of the band to complete the mandatory duty, freeing him up to fully resume musical activities.
    The seven members of the world’s most popular boy band have been performing their service — which South Korea requires of all men under 30, due to tensions with the nuclear-armed North — with the K-pop juggernaut on a self-described “hiatus” since 2022.
    Jin emerged from the gates of his army base in South Korea’s northern Yeoncheon county where he was met by fellow bandmates J-hope, V, RM, Jungkook and Jimin.
    RM played the saxophone, belting out the hook of BTS’s mega-hit “Dynamite” while the bandmates hugged and presented Jin with a giant bouquet of flowers.

    Fans had hung colourful banners outside the base, with one reading: “Seok-jin you did so well for the last 548 days. We’ll stand by you with our unwavering love,” referring to the star by his full first name.
    A giant balloon flew in front with the message: “Worldwide handsome Seok-jin! Congratulations on your discharge.”
    Yeoncheon county put up its own banner that read: “BTS Jin, The last year and a half was a joy for us. Yeoncheon will not forget you!”

    Fans had been urged not to attend, and there were only a couple of admirers present early Wednesday outside the base.
    BTS’s agency HYBE announced Jin’s discharge on Weverse — a superfan social media platform — earlier this week.
    “We are excited to bring you the news of Jin’s upcoming military discharge,” it said.
    It also “strongly advised” fans to “refrain from the visiting site” citing safety concerts, and added that there would be no special events planned.

  • Talks sirf unke sath hongi’ says former president Arif Alvi

    Talks sirf unke sath hongi’ says former president Arif Alvi

    Former President and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) leader Dr Arif Alvi reiterated that Imran Khan is ready to hold a dialogue but only with those “who could offer something”, Dawn reported.

    Alvi said that holding talks with those who had come into power through ‘Form 47s’ would be futile.

    Interestingly, during the interaction with reporters outside the Karachi Press Club, Alvi tried to downplay a social media post from Imran Khan’s account on social media which made a comparison with Pakistan’s current political turmoil with events during the fall of Dhaka, saying “It’s never about the whole institution but a few individuals”.

    However, the former president warned that the prevailing situation in the country was “pushing everyone towards a dead-end”.

    “We never invited the military to intervene in politics, but Imran Khan wants to talk to those who have the power to decide,” he said in response to a question.

    “If these talks aren’t held, it would further push everyone to a dead end,” warned the senior PTI leader.

  • Dubai Loaded: names of politicians, army officials with property, money in Dubai leaked

    Dubai Loaded: names of politicians, army officials with property, money in Dubai leaked

    Thousands of Pakistani citizens including more than a dozen retired military officials and their families own properties in upscale Dubai areas, according to data revealed by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) Dubai Unlocked project.

    The leaked data provides a detailed overview of hundreds of thousands of properties in Dubai and information about their ownership or usage, largely from 2020 and 2022.

    Pakistan, a country going through a severe economic crisis, came out prominent among the countries with massive properties in Dubai.

    Among the thousands of Pakistanis who own these properties are around a dozen retired military generals, two retired air vice-marshals of the Pakistan Air Force, a serving inspector general of police (IGP), a retired president of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), a former chairman of the Oil and Gas Development Company (OGDCL), and a serving chairman of the Pakistan Council for Science and Technology.

    Politicians

    President Asif Ali Zardari’s three children, Hussain Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s wife, Sharjeel Memon and his family members, Senator Faisal Vawda, four MNAs and half a dozen MPAs from the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies. Former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also appears on the list.

    The Property Leaks have also revealed that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s wife owns a property in Dubai which he didn’t declare in the nomination papers he submitted in March this year for the Senate election.

    Per the Property Leaks data, Naqvi’s wife owns a five-bedroom villa in the Arabian Ranches. She received a rental income of AED600,000 (Rs45m) from this villa, which was purchased in August 2017 for AED4,347,888 (Rs329m) according to the record seen by The News. The villa remained in her ownership till April 2023 when it was sold for AED4,550,000 (Rs344m) as per the record.

    Military officials

    Late Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf and his wife’s name appear in the leaked data as owners of three properties in the areas of Dubai Marina, Burj Khalifa and Al Thanyah Fifth.

    Musharraf’s former military secretary Lt-Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah, who goes by the username @infantry28, is also included in the list. It should be noted his name appeared in Pandora Papers too.

    Former DG Counter Intelligence Maj Gen (r) Ehtasham Zameer, his son and other children are also on the list as owners of properties in the Al Warsan First, Marina Arcade Marsa areas.

    Also on the list is the son of Lt-Gen Afzal Muzaffar of the NLC scandal fame.

    Lt-Gen (r) Muhammad Akram owns a property in Elite Residences 4. In addition, Lt-Gen Alam Jan Mehsud and his spouse own a five-bedroom apartment in the Al Hamri Palm Jumeirah area.

    Maj Gen (r) Ghazanfar Ali Khan also owns a property in S15 Building Al Warsan First.

    Major Gen (r) Raja Muhammad Arif Nazir also appears in the leaked data for owning a property in Golf Promenade 2-A, Al Hebiah third area.

    Air Vice Marshal (r) Saleem Tariq also appears to own property. As does Air Vice Marshal (r) Khalid Masood Rajput.

    Also included in the list are Major Gen (r) Muhammad Farooq, Major Gen (r) Anis Bajwa’s spouse, and Maj Gen (r) Najam-ul-Hassan Shah.

    Businessmen

    Chief Financial Officer of Omni Group Aslam Masood along with his wife is also shown as a listed owner of several properties in the data. The News checked the value of one of them and found out that it was purchased at AED1,060,626 (Rs80m) in March 2013.

    Sohrab Dinshaw is also a property owner in Dubai. A villa he purchased in 2015 carried a purchase price of AED 1271888 (Rs 96m).

    Former president of the NBP Arif Usmani also features on the list as the owner of a penthouse.

    Bureaucrats

    IGP Azad Jammu and Kashmir Dr Sohail Habib Tajik is also on the list for owning property in Al Dafrah First Al Thanyah Third.

    The list and details will be updated.

  • ‘I don’t owe apology to anyone’, Khan responds to DG ISPR

    ‘I don’t owe apology to anyone’, Khan responds to DG ISPR

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan, who is currently in Adiala jail, turned down the military’s demand to apologise for May 9 riots. He also said that his party had no connection with the violent protests that occurred last year.

    “Why should I tender apology, it should be sought from me,” the imprisoned former prime minister said while talking to journalists in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Wednesday.

    The PTI founder was responding to a question related to Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Tuesday’s press conference, wherein he demanded “those involved in the May 9 violent protests to apologise” and shun politics of “anarchy” before holding any dialogue.

    Earlier last year, when Imran Khan was arrested after the May 9 protests, he told the court that people will react again to my arrest. 

    During a long press conference, the military spokesperson stated that they will not dialogue with those who attacked military installations and disrespected the nation’s martyrs.

  • CTD arrests terrorists involved in Shangla Suicide attack

    CTD arrests terrorists involved in Shangla Suicide attack

    The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has arrested more than 10 terrorists and their facilitators involved in the recent suicide attack in Shangla’s Bisham city last week.

    The attack took the lives of six people, including five Chinese nationals, drawing widespread condemnation from the country’s civil-military leadership.

    Last week, a Chinese investigation team arrived in Pakistan to probe the unfortunate incident and expressed its interest to collectively work with Pakistani authorities. CTD sources said that the terrorist commander who was primarily responsible for bringing the suicide bomber into Pakistan has been arrested.

    Moreover, the explosive-laden vehicle used in the attack was made in Afghanistan and smuggled into Pakistan through the Pak-Afghan Chaman border crossing in Balochistan. From there it was transported to Chakdara in Lower Dir via a smuggler – who has also been arrested.

    The mastermind behind the attack has been named as Hazrat Bilal who is currently wanted by the authorities.