New Delhi: The Pakistani army is cleaning up within its ranks, announcing on Monday that it has sacked former Lahore Corps commander Lt Gen Salman Fayaz Ghani and two other officers over the May 9 violence in which former Prime Minister Imran Khan Military installations were attacked by supporters of the . , which he called a “dark chapter in history”.
While three officers have been dismissed for “failing to uphold the safety and dignity of soldiers, military installations, Jinnah House and General Headquarters”, several others are facing disciplinary charges. Following the violence, Lt Gen Ghani was removed from the Lahore Corps and attached to the Army Headquarters.
“Three officers, including a lieutenant-general, have been removed from their jobs. Strict disciplinary proceedings have been completed against the officers, including three major generals and seven brigadiers, Major-General Ahmed Sharif, Director General (DG) of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), told a press conference.
He also said that over 100 civilian protesters are being tried under the Army Act in 17 military courts across the country.
Major-General Sharif further stated that the accountability system was the same for all, irrespective of rank or family ties. The granddaughter of a retired four-star general, the son-in-law of a retired four-star general, the wife of a former three-star general and the wife and son-in-law of a retired two-star general are among the 102 civilians facing trial. Action in military tribunals, he said.
The ISPR chief began the press conference by saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, the incident of May 9 is extremely disappointing, condemnable and a dark chapter in the history of our country.”
He said the protests were planned months in advance and the youth were misled into thinking they were part of a revolution.
They also played videos of the children and families of the martyred soldiers, asking why people were attacking military installations and the army when their own men had laid down their lives to protect the country.
Major-General Sharif said, “While the Pakistani Army is making these sacrifices, on the other hand, unfortunately, dirty propaganda has been done on the basis of a false story for nefarious political purposes.”
He said the army has completed the “self-accountability” process through two comprehensive inquiries led by major generals.
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‘Irrespective of political party, will be punished…’
The ISPR chief said that all “planners and facilitators” of the May 9 attacks would be punished according to the law “irrespective of political party or institution or social status”.
Responding to questions, he said the masterminds and planners of the attack were those people who had been misleading the people against the army and its leadership for the past several months.
He further said that the purpose of the attack was to send people to target military installations and then get an immediate response from the military.
“No one expected that a political party would attack its own army like this. But when this happened, the army foiled this conspiracy. If they had given the answer they wanted, their conspiracy would have been successful,” he said.
When asked about the alleged human rights violations of those detained, the ISPR chief dismissed it as “fake claims being made by terrorist organisations” that hide behind human rights violations when action is taken against them. Are.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)