ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society President retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum on Sunday said there were no “no-go areas” in the country which warrant conduct of military operations.

Talking to reporters here, he regretted that certain politicians were trying to create confusion by spreading rumours about military operations. He said these people were doing so in the pursuit of cheap popularity and political gains.

General Qayyum said military operations only become necessary when there are pockets of resistance and ‘no-go’ areas within the country’s borders.

“Presently, there are no areas where our security forces can’t go. Therefore, only intelligence-based operations are being conducted which are essential to flush out all hideouts and sleeper cells of terrorists,” he remarked.

Similarly, he added, no country can turn a blind eye to illegal immigrants some of whom may be conniving with terrorists and becoming their facilitators.

He said the government had therefore set March 31 as the deadline for illegal aliens to leave the country or be ready to face the law.

“Our adversaries have always tried to weaken our national Army responsible for our national security. If we review our history, we see that our security forces have sacrificed countless lives to thwart the enemy’s evil designs,” he said. Gen Qayyum called for national unity, adding that divisions at this crucial juncture when the monster of terrorism was rearing its head once again would only benefit the foes.

“We must demand strong action against the enemies of the state and ensure that Pakistan remains safe from all threats.”

Stressing the need for unity to protect the integrity of the country, he observed that those who support terrorists as abettors and facilitators deserved no sympathy.

“Love for the motherland should be our collective passion and duty and whenever national integrity is at risk every Pakistani must step forward to fight against the enemy. Pakistan Ex Servicemen Society fully supports our valour Armed Forces and recommends that full national level cooperation across the board should be extended to Pakistan’s police and security forces, and speedy legal action must be taken against the apprehended terrorists so that our country could be free of terrorism forever,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2025