Pakistan’s military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry
Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has sparked controversy after saying in a video that Muslims should not befriend “kaafirs” (non-believers), warning that those who do would no longer be considered among the faithful.”Do not befriend kaafirs (non-believers) and leave the faithful. If you do that, there’s a problem. Then you are not among the Muslims,” Chaudhry said while addressing a press conference. “Now our population is 240-250 million people, and we still have four provinces. We have to see whether this is serving the purpose of good governance. That debate has to be sensibly held by politicians, by those in power, even those who have previously been in power, and those who are responsible to the people of Pakistan,” he added. The remarks were made during a wider media briefing that focused on Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operations, the security situation in Balochistan, and the country’s ties with Afghanistan.Taking a jibe at India-Afghanistan ties, Chaudhry claimed that the Afghan Taliban regime’s “business” was terrorism, alleging that it used militancy to sustain its economy, state institutions and diplomacy.“Even their diplomacy is centred on terrorism. What is common between India and Afghanistan, except their DNA? The only thing common is terrorism,” Chaudhary said, as cited by Dawn. Chaudhry also claimed that around 300 Indian websites were being used to support terrorism-related activities in Balochistan, while more than 1,000 social media accounts and what he described as a “hostile diaspora” were involved in spreading propaganda linked to terrorism.“First, an event or incident is seeded, right or wrong, and then it is framed by initiators, who hand it over to amplifiers. Then mass amplification is done by mainstream Indian media, channels and their print media as well, from where it is picked up by international media, and then you take it and run it as facts,” he said. The DG ISPR said the government was also working to strengthen the police force, including by deploying newly recruited assistant superintendents of police (ASPs) to Balochistan and providing bulletproof vehicles, among other measures.The remarks come amid a series of attacks on Pakistani security forces across Balochistan last month, with armed clashes also reported during military operations in the Mastung and Kech districts, according to The Balochistan Post (TBP).The insurgency in Balochistan has been led by several separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which has waged a long-running campaign against Pakistan’s federal government. The group has frequently targeted security personnel and infrastructure in the province and has also carried out attacks in other parts of the country, including Karachi.According to Pakistan’s 2023 census, Balochistan is home to around 15 million people and is rich in natural resources, including coal, gold, copper and natural gas. The BLA maintains that these resources should belong to the people of Balochistan and opposes the federal government’s control over their extraction and the province’s security.
