May 9 mayhem perpetrators must face punishment: Army

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Army on Tuesday called for holding the perpetrators and facilitators of the violence of May 9 last year accountable, and ruled out any dialogue with any political leader or group “which attacks its own army and indulges in propaganda [against them]”, emphasising “talks are for political parties, not institutions”.

“The issue of May 9 riots is not limited to the Pakistan Army but [in fact] concerns the whole nation,” said Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry at a news conference here.

He said the perpetrators and facilitators of May 9 riots needed to be punished as per the Constitution and law of the land to preserve the credibility and faith in the country’s justice system. “There can be no dialogue with an ‘anarchist group’,” he said, adding the “only way forward for the anarchists [group] is to apologise sincerely [for their acts], abandon the politics of hate and indulge in constructive politics [instead]”. “Talks are for political parties, not institutions,” the military spokesperson further said.

Reacting to demands for the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the May 9 riots, Maj-Gen Chaudhry said the army had no objection to the judicial inquiry. However, he stressed if a judicial commission was to be formed, the whole incident must be probed in depth. “The [judicial] commission should also look into what were the objectives of 2014 sit-in [...] how the parliament and the PTV [building] was attacked. “And how Islamabad was stormed by using Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s resources in 2022,” the DG ISPR said.

“The forum should also look into how lobbying firms were hired abroad, how letters were written to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and from where the funding was coming from and where it was being channelled to,” the military’s spokesperson added.

On the issue of terrorism, the military’s spokesperson stressed there was “irrefutable evidence” of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) using Afghanistan’s soil against Pakistan. “There is irrefutable evidence of Afghan soil being used by the TTP [...] recent terrorist incidents can be traced to Afghanistan,” he added.

Reaffirming commitment on counter-terrorism efforts, Maj-Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan would leave no stone unturned to eliminate the terrorist network. He stressed the security forces would go to any extent against terrorists. However, the spokesperson noted the first priority of the Pakistan Army was to maintain law and order in the country. “The army chief has said that there’s no place for terrorists in Pakistan,” the military spokesperson said while reassuring that steps were being taken to bring miscreants to justice.

On the issue of Afghan refugees living inside Pakistan, the military’s spokesperson said: “Millions of Afghans are still living in Pakistan, while the country is fighting against terrorism. Pakistan has helped Afghan refugees, which the world has recognised.” The DG ISPR revealed more than 563,000 illegal foreigners had been repatriated. He said law and order situation was deteriorating because of Afghan citizens. “Militants are spoiling law and order situation in Balochistan, but the army is [acting as] a wall against the miscreants,” he noted.

Providing details about the army’s anti-terror efforts, he said as many as 13,133 operations had been carried out in 2024 so far wherein 239 terrorists were neutralised, whereas two officers and 60 soldiers embraced martyrdom.