Five or 500 Rafale, Pakistan ready to down all: DG ISPR

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations, Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, Pakistan Armed Thursday said Pakistan has complete preparedness to counter any Indian aggression no matter India may get five or 500 Rafale jets.

Addressing a press conference, DG ISPR said India is using terrorist groups to destabilize Pakistan and region.

He said India was the top country when it comes to defence spending and the way they flew five Rafale jets from France to India showed their insecurity.

“If there are five or 500 Rafale aircraft we are absolutely fine with it. The way India is spending on its defence budget is really affecting the conventional budget in this region. Pakistan Army gets 17 percent of the budget including PAF and Navy. Even with these resources, we are absolutely ready and we have our own preparedness.”

Pak-Saudia relations

Responding to the question, DG ISPR said Pakistan and its people have brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia and nobody can doubt the sanctity of Saudi Arabia in Islamic world and hearts of the Pakistani people beat with the people of Saudi Arabia.

He said Pakistan had, have and will continue to enjoy the best relationships with Saudi Arabia and no one should have any doubt about it.

DG ISPR said the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa is going to a Saudi Arabia on an already planned trip that is a military to military trip. “There is no need to much to link it to other things.”

Indian atrocities in Kashmir

He said freedom is a great blessing and mothers of the occupied Kashmir know the value of independence.

"Azaadi (independence) is a huge blessing," he said. "Ask about the importance of freedom from the mother of an occupied Kashmir resident that buries her son with the Pakistan flag. In occupied Kashmir, the inhumane siege has continued for one year. Genocide is being done and human rights are being violated through India's state terrorism in the occupied region. Under a pre-planned, thought-out plan, India by changing the demography of the region is trying to evict the Muslims living there."

Maj Gen Babar said there was no oppression in the world that is not being inflicted on people in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

The Armed Forces Spokesperson said serious human rights violations are being committed in Occupied Valley and Kashmiris are being martyred and buried in unknown places.

“Today we pay tribute to the vision of founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah,” the DG ISPR said.

He noted that the targeting of Kashmiris with pellet guns by the Indian forces has become the norm while the region's local leadership has been kept in detention for one year. He said Pakistan has "left no stone unturned" in raising Kashmiris' plight before the world.

"The Government of Pakistan at all regional and international forums has raised awareness on the Kashmir issue and voices against the oppression are reverberating through the world's corridors."

Genocide Watch and international media have unmasked India's actions in the occupied valley while the United Nations secretary general has stressed human rights in Kashmir, the DG ISPR said.

"During the past year, the issue has been raised in the UN three times and this shows that the issue is of cardinal importance in the eyes of the world. And their (Kashmiris') fight for independence will InshAllah be successful."

He said the situation at the Line of Control is linked to the Kashmir issue.

"Despite the ceasefire appeal by the UN secretary general during the pandemic, India continued their traditional cowardly actions and targeted innocent people."

He said till now, India has committed 1,927 ceasefire violations and has deliberately targeted peaceful people living along the LoC in Azad Kashmir.

"Sixteen innocent people have been martyred while 158 have been injured. In these ceasefire violations, heavy weapons were used indiscriminately. Let me also tell you that the Pakistan Army responds to all the ceasefire violations effectively, but being a professional army we make military targets and target those posts that are carrying out the firing."

On July 22 International media visited Azad Jammu and Kashmir and interacted with the citizens, he added.

He said the demography in Occupied Kashmir is being changed.

DG ISPR said Kashmiris' struggle for independence will be successful.

The Spokesperson said no foreign observer is allowed in Occupied Kashmir and Pakistan has exposed Indian state terrorism.

ISPR said the Army has been fighting the war for the last 20 years and has dismantled India’s all plans.

Peace in Afghanistan means peace in Pakistan

DG ISPR said Pakistan has played a tremendous role in bringing peace in Afghanistan.

“We hope for peace sooner in Pakistan. We are absolutely working for peace and Iran and Saudi Arab have played very positive in the Afghan peace process,” DG ISPR said.

There are some chances for some vested interests amid the ongoing peace process, he further commented on a question asked.

Answering a question, he said Iran and all other regional countries have played a positive role for Afghan peace.

He said Pakistan was fencing the Iran border with the knowledge of Iranian government and both governments agreed on it as porous border creates problems on both side.

DG ISPR rejected the claims made by the former TTP Spokesperson Ehsan Ullah Ehsan. “We were using him and got immense information from him against dismantling terrorist’s organizations. I leave it to you why he is making such claims.”

DG ISPR said, “It is an assertion of our claim. This is where we have to go and this claim has always been the same and there is no change in it.”

Kulbhushan Yadev

DG ISPR said Kulbhushan Yadev was a proven terrorist who spilt blood of innocent Pakistanis. He said Pakistan only was trying to comply with the International Court of Justice ruling to comply with its international obligations and no favours are being given to the Indian spy terrorist.