Well, better late than never, Maj-Gen Babar Iftikhar, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has culled the rumours of a deal with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif who is currently living in London. Back in Pakistan, certain leaders of his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, and some TV anchors were claiming that the establishment was ‘begging’ a deal with Nawaz Sharif, which he was reluctant to accept. At a press conference in Rawalpindi, the ISPR head spoke on a range of issues, from civil-military relations to the rumoured deal, Kashmir, fencing of Pak-Afghan border and so on. He said that the news making the rounds about the deal with the former prime minister was baseless and speculative. He said if anyone talks like this, ask him who is doing the deal. The statement is clear, but the past record shows that such deals have been struck and such denials were also made, but later on, both sides – the establishment and the civilian – admitted striking the deals. Hopefully, this time, the statement would stand the dust of time and history. Reinforcing the point, the ISPR head said that armed forces work under the government of Pakistan and that civil-military relations were smooth as the establishment should be kept away from politics.
The statement is enough to expose the elements which use the cover of the establishment for their vested interests. The ISPR should have been quick to water down such developments. About the fencing work along the Pak-Afghan border, he said there is complete coordination between the two sides, and 94 percent and 71 percent of fencing work on Pakistan-Afghanistan and Pakistan-Iran borders has been completed. About the toppling of the fences by the Taliban, he clarified, the Pak-Afghan border is internationally recognized. The Pakistani government should take up the issue of the uprooting of the fence by the Taliban with a positive attitude. Moreover, the Afghan regime should be asked about the status of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) office-bearers living in Afghanistan and using Afghan soil to attack Pakistan. At the request of the Afghan government, the Pakistani government held dialogues with the TTP, but it turned out to be a futile exercise. The ceasefire with the banned TTP ended on December 9 and the operation is now underway to eliminate the terrorist groups.
