WEB DESK: Addressing media personnel on Friday, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif said on Friday that the Pakistan Army remains steadfast in its fight against terrorism. He rejected what he called a “false narrative” being spun about the state’s counterterrorism operations, saying it reflects a criminal political nexus responsible for violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He insisted the Pakistan Armed Forces are carrying out internal-security duties in accordance with the constitution and law and vowed to deny sanctuary to foreign militants and their facilitators, whatever their rank or position. Referring to the Doha agreement, the military spokesman recalled commitments not to allow Afghan soil to be used against Pakistan and said US-made weapons were recovered from militants killed in KP.
The DG ISPR blamed governance failures for the loss of soldiers’ and civilians’ lives and warned that politics or convenience must not be allowed to cost more blood. He urged the public to stand with the state in eliminating the “foreign scourge,” saying the nation is united like a “steel wall” against terrorists and their enablers. “We do not need to beg for security,” he said, adding that martyrs are a source of pride and their sacrifices will not be in vain. He said Pakistan has been battling the menace of terrorism for over two decades and continues to make sacrifices to ensure national peace and stability, noting that the visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was aimed at reviewing ongoing counterterrorism operations alongside the province’s resilient people.
According to the ISPR, security forces have carried out 14,535 operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa so far, while 40 intelligence-based operations are being conducted daily to track and eliminate militant networks. The military spokesperson added that 272 soldiers of the Pakistan Army and 140 police personnel have embraced martyrdom in the line of duty during these operations.
Thirty foreign militants killed in Orakzai operations: ISPR
DG ISPR said that 516 security personnel have embraced martyrdom in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during operations in 2025. He noted that the number of militants eliminated this year is the highest in the past decade. Following the 2014 Army Public School attack, law enforcement agencies adopted a coordinated strategy to root out terrorism.
However, he said, terrorist groups and their facilitators were deliberately provided space under certain plans. Highlighting the factors behind the persistence of terrorism, he cited the lack of full implementation of the National Action Plan, the politicisation of counterterrorism efforts, and the provision of safe havens and weapons to militants in Afghanistan. The DG ISPR further revealed that nearly 30 suicide bombers killed over the past two years had links to Afghanistan.
“Since 2014, when the Army Public School tragedy occurred, law enforcement agencies had adopted a coordinated strategy to root out terrorism. However, he noted that under certain policies, terrorists and their facilitators were given space, while governance and welfare in KP were deliberately weakened, a burden now borne by its people,” he said.
Pakistan not in arms race with India: DG ISPR
The DG ISPR identified five main factors behind the persistence of terrorism: the lack of full implementation of the National Action Plan, politicisation of counterterrorism, India’s use of Afghanistan as a base against Pakistan, the provision of safe havens and weapons to militants in Afghanistan, and the “terror-crime nexus” operating with local and political support.
He revealed that in 2025 alone, 10,115 intelligence-based operations were conducted in KP, during which 917 militants were killed, including 161 Afghans. Another 135 Afghan terrorists were neutralised while attempting to infiltrate Pakistan. Over the past two years, around 30 suicide bombers of Afghan origin were eliminated.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said 516 personnel had embraced martyrdom in 2025, including 311 soldiers, 73 policemen, and 132 civilians. “We are here to renew our commitment to peace, terrorism must end, and peace must prevail in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he asserted.
He rejected what he called a “false narrative” being spun about the state’s counterterrorism operations, saying it reflects a criminal political nexus responsible for violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He insisted the Pakistan Armed Forces are carrying out internal-security duties in accordance with the constitution and law and vowed to deny sanctuary to foreign militants and their facilitators, whatever their rank or position. Referring to the Doha agreement, the military spokesman recalled commitments not to allow Afghan soil to be used against Pakistan and said US-made weapons were recovered from militants killed in KP.
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