Pakistan Army takes notice of smear campaign

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Army on Tuesday has taken strong notice of a smear campaign being run on social media, ARY News reported, quoting Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

According to Pakistan Army’s public relations wing, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa chaired a meeting of the Formation Commander’s Conference.

The Formation Commanders Conference was attended by all Corps Commanders, Staff Officers and Formation Commanders.

A Pakistan Army spokesman said the participants were briefed on professional matters, national security challenges, and measures to deal with traditional and non-traditional threats.

According to ISPR, the COAS expressed satisfaction over the operational readiness of the formations and commended the corps commanders for the sacrifices made by the officers and men.

Pakistan Army spokesman, Major General Babar Iftikhar said that the participants had taken stern notice of the propaganda campaign against the Pakistan Army.

Participants said that army has always stood for state institutions and will always protect state institutions without any discrimination, forum participants have expressed complete satisfaction with the military leadership.

Earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had arrested five suspects, including a political activist, for allegedly running an online smear campaign against the country’s armed forces.

These arrests were made as a result of several raids in Lahore, Multan, Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi by the cybercrime wing of the federal agency. The suspects have been handed over to the counter-terrorism wing of the FIA. Political activist Maqsood Arif was among those arrested.