No terrorism in Pakistan before Afghan war: DG ISPR

Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor says there can't be lasting regional peace without security and stability in Afghanistan

The chief military spokesperson has said that there cannot be lasting peace in the region unless security and stability is ensured in Afghanistan.

"There was no terrorism in Pakistan before the Afghan war and our target is to take Pakistan to the pre-war peaceful era," Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) DG Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said during an interview to a private news channel.

"Peace has returned to the Pakistan and its future is prosperous," he added.

"The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) could never have defeated al Qaeda in Afghanistan without Pakistan's support, the DG said when asked about US President Trump's recent tirade against Pakistan.

In his tweet on January 1, Trump had lashed out Pakistan, accusing the country of "lying and deceit" in return for billions of dollars. He had also accused the country of harbouring terrorists and providing safe havens to them.



According to DG ISPR, Pakistan provided ISAF all logistic and intelligence support to overcome terrorism in Afghanistan. "Pakistan, with significantly less resources achieved what the security forces in Afghanistan couldn't with all of their resources," he said.

Pakistan, he said, proposed to Afghanistan a bilateral border control mechanism. “The issues at the border can be improved through better coordination.”

Maj Gen Ghafoor said that Pakistan successfully defeated terrorism through Operation Zarb-e-Azb. "It was decided that the terrorists will not be allowed to flee to Afghanistan."

"[On the other hand] India is still active in [perpetrating terrorism] inside Pakistan." We have a perpetual security threat from the East, he added.