DGMO says Pakistan focusing on defeating ‘terror narrative’

LONDON: Pakistan Army’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Aamer Riaz has said that Pakistan is fighting the menace of terrorism with a focus on defeating the “terror narrative” that’s employed by the terrorists for their designs.

Speaking to Pakistan’s Security Conference at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) here on Thursday, Maj-Gen Riaz explained the full thrust of Pakistan’s security viewpoint to a large number of audience from various think tanks and academic backgrounds, who were attending the conference to get a better view of how Pakistan sees its internal and external security threats.

He said the situation between India and Pakistan remains tense because of Indian belligerence on the eastern border at a time when Pakistan was devoting its full efforts to defeating terrorism.

Through presentation, the military commander explained to the audience how Pakistan has been successful in regaining control of large parts of the country which had been sneakily taken over by the Taliban and their allies.

He said the Operation Zarb-e-Azb was started to deal with terrorists, their abettors and sponsors and all those elements who sympathise with them.

However, the DGMO stressed, the most emphasis in this operation remains on defeating the “narrative” that terrorists have used for recruitment and operation. He said that Pakistan army had successfully denied social space to terrorists by countering their ideology and by making people aware that terrorists must be rejected because of their ‘phony ideologies and their twisted views’.

Maj-Gen Aamer Riaz went on to say that the Pakistan Army had been successful in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and was now involved in areas closer to Pak-Afghan border.

He added that tourism was returning to Pakistan and economy was improving as a result of an improved security environment.