DG ISPR Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Major General Asif Ghafoor said law and order should be maintained in the country as protests against Aasia Bibi's acquittal enters the third day.
"The armed forces hope that the matter is resolved without disruption of peace."
On October 31, the Supreme Court acquitted Bibi – a Christian woman accused of blasphemy in 2010 and sentenced to death – and set aside an earlier judgment passed by a lower court.
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Speaking to Pakistan Television (PTV), DG ISPR said the acquittal was a legal matter and dragging the military into the issue was disappointing. "Unfortunately, the army is dragged into every matter."
He urged protesters to refrain from making statements against the country’s legal structure, the armed forces and the Constitution.
چاہتے ہیں صورتحال پرامن طریقے سے حل ہوجائے۔۔کسی کو بھی قانون اپنے ہاتھ میں نہیں لینا چاہیئے۔۔اگر حکومت طاقت کے استعمال کا فیصلہ کرتی ہے تو اس کے احکامات پر عمل درآمد کیا جائے گا۔۔ترجمان پاک فوج میجر جنرل آصف غفور pic.twitter.com/p6EVW2lEPP
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) November 2, 2018
The military spokesperson added that the case had been in the court for the past 10 years. “Let the legal course complete.”
“Islam promotes peace and harmony,” he said. “The army is engaged in eliminating terrorism from the country. It should not be distracted from its goal.”
Govt, opposition and institutions on the same page: Fawad
Maj Gen Ghafoor elaborated that the army wanted to peacefully control the prevailing situation in the country. However, he added, the Pakistan Army would play its constitutional role if requested by the government.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry dismissed social media reports of an operation against the protesters. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader said the government is the guarantor of public's lives and freedom.
ملک بھر میں حالات کنٹرول میں ہیں،مظاہرین کے ساتھ مذاکرات جاری ہیں حکومت عوام کی زندگی اور آزادی کی ضامن ہے مظاہرین کے خلاف آپریشن کی سوشل میڈیا پر خبریں غلط ہیں حکومت تشدد کی راہ نہیں اپناناچاہتی مذہبی امور نور الحق قادری آج بھی مظاہرین کی قیادت سے مذاکرات کریں گے،
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) November 2, 2018
He reaffirmed that the government did not intend to use force. “The negotiations with protesters are ongoing,” he asserted.
Fawad added that Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri was set for another round of talks with protesters later today.
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