F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Director General Military Operations (DGMO), Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza said on Tuesday that after years of devastation Pakistan was moving towards peace.
“Situation has reverted from hopelessness to hope. There is an increased sense of hope and anticipation now,” he said while speaking at Islamabad International Counter Terrorism Forum here at a local hotel.
The three-day forum organized by National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) kicked off on Tuesday with an aim to highlight Pakistan’s endeavors and achievements in the war against terror.
Talking about Pakistan’s contributions in the war on terror, the DGMO said that due to terrorism Pakistan suffered around 76,000 nationwide casualties and $123 billion in economic losses.
He said that in the year 2008 a comprehensive national response was devised to cope with the menace of terrorism.
He presented a complete detail of various operations launched by Pakistan Army, including Operation Rah-e-Rast (launched in 2009) Operation Rah-e-Nijat (followed by Rah-e-Rast), Oper-ation Zarb-e-Azb (launched in 2013) and the ongoing operation Radd-ul-Fasaad.
He said that all these operations were launched to deal with anti-state elements and crush terrorism. He said that Pakistan got tremendous success through these indiscriminate and effective operations and the result was that peace and stability were returning to the country.
He expressed the concern at the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan stating that the presence of terrorists there was having a direct influence on Pakistan’s security.
He said Pakistan had taken a number of steps for effective management of Pak-Afghan border. He said that 73 wings of the Frontier Constabulary were being raised for the effective management of the Pak-Afghan border adding, “Of which, 29 wings have already been set up. This will help in transfer of authority from the military to the semi-military setup.”
He said that Pakistan Army was also engaged in construction of 750 border forts.
Besides Pakistan has begun fencing of the 2,611 kilometres long porous border. The DGMO said that Pakistan Army was assisting the government in the implementation of National Action Plan (NAP).
