Pakistan army admits ISI has links with militants, says not the same as support

Name any intelligence agency which does not maintain links with militant groups - that is how the Pakistani military spokesperson responded when asked about the ISI's links to militant groups.

Does the Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistan's premier spy, agency have links with militant groups?

What intelligence agency in the world doesn't have "links" to militants - that was how Major General Asif Ghafoor, the spokesperson of all things Pakistani defence, responded when asked the same question.

Ghafoor, the head of Pakistani armed forces' media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, was speaking at a press conference in Rawalpindi when he was asked about the senior-most United States general's recent observation that the ISI has connections to militant groups.

"Name any intelligence agency which does not maintain links with militant groups" Ghafoor was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune in response to the question on the ISI's links with militants. Ghafoor sought to differentiate between having 'links' to militants and 'supporting' them.

According to a report in Dawn, Ghafoor said that having "links" can be positive and that the US general's about the ISI "did not say there was support".  

The US general in question is Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest-ranking US armed forces member. "It is clear to me that the ISI has connections with terrorist groups," Dunford recently said in the US.

THREATS FROM INDIA PERPETUAL'

Major General Ghafoor, in his press conference, also said that Pakistan shares an "unsafe" border with India due to New Delhi's "inappropriate actions". ?"In the east, we have a border with India which is unsafe because of India's inappropriate actions," Dawn quoted the Pakistani military spokesperson as saying while speaking about Pakistan's borders.

"Threats from India are perpetual. We are a peaceful country and we do not want war with them, but we will defend ourselves and have the capability to do so," Ghafoor went on to say.

The military spokesperson also accused India of violating the ceasefire along the Line of Control and claimed that Pakistani troops had responding in a befitting manner.

"The ceasefire violations in 2017 are considerably more in number than any other year before this, with 222 civilian casualties along the Line of Control. However, India has also paid a price due to our response [to attacks] and we will continue to do so [respond] if it does not act with restraint," Ghafoor claimed.

US TURNING SCREWS ON PAK

Ghafoor's comments come as the Donald Trump administration in the US increases diplomatic pressure on Pakistan for its support for terrorist groups.

The US has, in recent time, not refrained itself from explicitly calling Islamabad. US President Donald Trump, while unveiling his new Afghanistan policy, said that his country cannot remain "silent about Pakistan's safe havens to terrorist organisations."

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering in our effort in Afghanistan, it has much to lose in continuing to harbour terrorists and criminals," Trump had said.

Recently, Trump's civilian defence chief, Jim Mattis delivered what sounded like an ultimatum. Mattis, the American defence secretary (the US equivalent of a defence minister), recently said that the Trump administration would try to work with Pakistan "one more time".

If the current strategy of working with Islamabad fails, Washington " is prepared to take whatever steps are necessary" Mattis had said.