ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military spokesperson has said Islamabad believes dialogue is the only sustainable route to ending the Iran war, while stressing that Pakistan’s role as a mediator is rooted in its relationships with all sides and its commitment to regional peace.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry made the remarks during an interview on Al Arabiya English’s Global News Today, in a conversation with programme host Tom Burges Watson.
When asked why Pakistan had decided to play such an important mediating role, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry replied:
“For peace, for regional peace, because stability stems from peace. And Pakistan is a big proponent of peace in the region and in the area. And Pakistan also has a unique position because of its policy of multi-alignment and multi-engagement with all the friendly countries around the world so that it can act as an objective arbiter of peace and an honest broker of peace.”
Objective Mediation Approach
He said Pakistan’s military and political leadership has maintained that effective mediation requires an objective and neutral approach, particularly in a conflict shaped by decades of mistrust and complex differences.
Chaudhry said that Islamabad had therefore avoided commenting on developments or predicting what might happen, while continuing to engage all sides.
He said Pakistan aimed to encourage restraint and help the parties move away from a military solution towards a negotiated outcome to the complex conflict.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan shares the same objective as other mediators: achieving a sustained and peaceful outcome.
He said Pakistan’s distinctive position stems from its long-standing relationship with the United States and its brotherly, neighbouring and strategic ties with Iran, giving Islamabad channels of engagement with both sides.
“The only objective that Pakistan is pursuing is that the conflict doesn’t spiral horizontally as well as vertically, and the differences and the issues are resolved rather than being resolved in air, ground or naval domains. That’s what we are looking for,” he said.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said there was no desirable alternative to mediation and a negotiated settlement if the objective was lasting peace.
He said all parties directly involved in the conflict, as well as regional countries on the sidelines, should continue working towards a peaceful political outcome.
He added that mediators willing to engage objectively and sincerely must continue their efforts until a negotiated resolution is achieved.
Security situation in Balochistan
During the interview, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif also addressed the security situation in Balochistan, rejecting the description of militant violence in the province as an insurgency.
“There is no insurgency. There is terrorism. Just terrorism.”
He said more than 40,000 intelligence-based operations had been conducted across Pakistan, with more than 32,000 carried out in Balochistan.
“Tactically, I can tell you that out of these more than 40,000 IBOs that I talked about, 32,000 more plus were done only in Balochistan. I can tell you how proactively the security forces of Pakistan are taking out these so-called proxies who associate themselves with Balochistan and have got nothing to do with it,” he said.
Security And Development
The DG ISPR said Pakistan was pursuing a two-pronged approach in Balochistan, combining security operations against militants with political engagement and development aimed at strengthening governance and addressing the needs of local communities.
He said the government and military leadership had a clear understanding of how to counter terrorism, stressing that militant groups would be confronted through security operations while the people of Balochistan would be brought into the process through greater engagement.
He said security forces were taking militants on “kinetically”, while the federal and provincial governments were simultaneously working to “embrace the people of Balochistan”.
According to the DG ISPR, this approach was based on the understanding that counterterrorism could not be separated from engagement with the people and efforts to improve governance.
He said the wider strategy included engagement, sustainable development initiatives and employment opportunities.
“And for that, there is a systemic plan that is there, in the shape of engagements, in the shape of sustainable development initiatives from the village, town, and district level, in the shape of employment. And if I say, as an umbrella, that is good governance. So the people of Balochistan need to be provided with good governance. They need to be engaged,” he added.
He said the government’s strategy was already being implemented, while acknowledging that it could be improved and accelerated to deliver results more effectively and quickly.
State Will Continue
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif said the strategy was already being implemented but acknowledged that it could be strengthened and accelerated.
He said the prime minister, military leadership and the Balochistan government were engaging with political figures, students, academics and other sections of society as part of the effort.
“We are talking. We are listening. And we are telling, and we are communicating that you, the people of Balochistan, matter.”
He said the state’s focus was on engaging younger generations rather than accommodating traditional elites.
“The elites and sardars don’t matter. We are not in a business of appeasing and looking after the elites and sardars. It’s the young, youth, boy and girl of Balochistan who matters.”
At the same time, the DG ISPR said the state would continue taking action against those carrying out attacks.
“Those who think they can pick up arms, they can fight against the state, we say, okay, most welcome, come and fight. You don’t need to fight; we will go and hunt you.”
He added that Pakistan’s security forces would continue their operations against militants, saying: “That’s what we are doing, and we’ll continue, and we’ll win.”
