ISLAMABAD, April 21: Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) director-general Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan confirmed on Friday that three missiles fired from across the Afghan border had landed in Charmang area of Bajaur Agency on Wednesday.
Maj-Gen Sultan said that some stray missiles had been landing in Pakistan in the wake of a US-led operation in some parts of Afghanistan. He, however, said even these “un-intended missile firing incidents” were not acceptable to Pakistan and protests had been lodged whenever such incidents took place.
Maj-Gen Sultan said the situation in Afghanistan had a direct impact on Pakistan and the law and order situation in Pakistan would improve with stability in Afghanistan.
He said there was no data available on the number of stray missiles that had landed in Pakistan from Afghanistan.
In response to a question, about the Bajaur Agency incident, he said the Al-Qaeda man was killed after he had opened fire on levies personnel.
He said the fire resulted in the killing of levies personnel. He said the identity of the Al-Qaeda operative had not yet been confirmed after a DNA test. He did not say when the DNA test report would be available.
Asked when the army operation in North Waziristan would end, he said it could end immediately if the militants and their supporters stopped using Pakistan’s soil for terrorist activity.
He said the government was still ready to give amnesty to those who lay down their arms, get themselves registered and agree to live as peaceful citizens of the country. But he warned that action would be taken against those who tried to disrupt the peace and indulge in terrorist activities.
WOMEN’S INDUCTION: The army has decided to induct women in branches other than the medical corps, according to Maj-Gen Sultan. Women will be appointed in the Signals, ISPR, education corps, as well as legal and computer branches.
He said the selection procedure would be completed in May. Thirty females would be inducted in the first phase and would be able to join short military training by first of June. These females would be directly inducted as majors and captains.
In response to a question, he said the scope for induction of females would be gradually expanded and did not rule out their induction in combat arms in future.
There are currently over 3,000 female officers serving Pakistan Army, mainly in the fields of medical and dental corps. These include 650 doctors while the rest of 2,300 were in the nursing corps.
He said one of these officers Shahida Badsha has recently been promoted as Major General. The serving female army officers in the medical corps include eight brigadiers, eight colonels and six Lt. colonels. In the nursing corps there are five brigadiers, 18 colonels and 32 lt. colonels.
RELIGION NO BARRIER: Maj-Gen Sultan has said that religion was no barrier to recruitments in the Pakistan Army.
He said there was no restriction on Qadianis joining the army. He said there were Qadiani officers serving the Pakistan Army and they can be elevated to any rank. “The promotions in Pakistan Army are not religion based, but merit based,” he pointed out.
In the past, he said, the army had a Christian and a Parsi officer who rose to the rank of major general. He said there were 250 Christian officers in the Pakistan Army. There were a few brigadiers in the Pakistan Army who belonged to religions other than Islam.
Maj-Gen Sultan said that recently a Sikh had joined the army as a cadet for the first time. Answering a question, he said there had been certain Hindu doctors who had served the medical corps.
