Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry
ISLAMABAD:
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Tuesday said terrorists had found a “conducive environment” in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which he linked as the province recording the highest number of attacks in the past year.
Addressing a wide-ranging press conference at the headquarters in Rawalpindi, the chief military spokesperson said the state’s stand on eliminating terrorism was unequivocal and asserted that the menace would be crushed decisively through the use of force and without compromise.
He rejected narratives portraying Pakistan as a “helpless state,” blamed foreign-sponsored terrorist networks operating from Afghan soil, and outlined what he described as unprecedented intelligence operations as the state works to dismantle terrorist threats once and for all.
Questioning why KP continues to witness the highest number of attacks, he said terrorists have found a “conducive environment” in the province, adding, “A politically conducive environment is being created for terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
“We will win the war against terrorism by force. We must win this war against terrorism at all costs,” Lt. Gen. Sharif said, stressing that there was no clarity between political leaders and the armed forces on this issue. “This is the war of the whole nation.”
Taking stock of terrorism in 2025
The ISPR chief said the sole aim of the press conference was to present a comprehensive review of terrorist activity during 2025, describing the year as historic and result-oriented in Pakistan’s counter-terrorism campaign.
Over the past year, he said, an extraordinary number of IBOs have taken place across the country, reflecting both the scale of the threat and the state’s determination to confront it. “In 2025, complete harmony has been achieved between the State of Pakistan and its people on the issue of terrorism.”
The military spokesperson stressed that the terrorists had no links with Pakistan or Balochistan. He said terrorism must be confronted as a collective national challenge rather than seen through political or provincial lenses.
“The war against terrorism is the war of the entire nation,” he continued, calling for a focus on measures taken to counter the threat rather than political speeches.
Providing statistics, Lt. Gen. Sharif said that in 2025, law enforcement agencies conducted 75,175 PCIs across the country, an average of 206 operations per day. Of these, he added, 14,658 operations were carried out in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 58,778 in Balochistan and 1,739 in other parts of the country.
Despite these operations, Pakistan witnessed 5,397 terrorist incidents during the year. KP accounted for the highest number, with 3,811 incidents, followed by Balochistan with 1,557 incidents. Only 29 incidents were reported in the rest of the country. A total of 2,597 terrorists were killed during the year, Lt. Gen. Sharif said.
Afghanistan, hub of terrorism
Lt Gen Sharif said that terrorism in Pakistan had resurfaced after 2021 when there was a change of power in Afghanistan following the Doha agreement. He recalled that under the Doha Agreement, the Afghan authorities had made three key commitments: Afghan soil would not be used for terrorist purposes; terrorism would end and women’s education would be ensured.
“The centers of Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna-e-Hindustan are in Afghanistan,” he said, claiming that all major terrorist organizations targeting Pakistan were based and nurtured there. He said Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts over the past two decades were widely recognized by the international community. “This war against terrorism is the war of the entire nation.”
NAP and religious clarity
DG ISPR said there was consensus among all political parties on the National Action Plan (NAP) and its implementation was essential to defeat terrorism. Referring to Khawarij, he said Islamic injunctions were clear regarding those who wage war against the state and society.
“It is absolutely clear that we must win this war against terrorism,” he said, emphasizing that no individual or personality was bigger than Pakistan.
The chief military spokesperson sharply criticized the “powerless state” narrative, calling it absurd and misleading. He referred to a former prime minister, who publicly declared himself powerless, yet declared the then army chief as the “father of the nation”. “We believe that the nation has only one father – Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah,” he said.
He questioned where the then DG Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was today, saying state institutions had been used for personal political interests at the time, with governance revolving around a single individual.
He clarified that the army had no problem with any political party and treated all political forces and provinces equally. “The current government is empowered, and previous governments were as well,” he said.
Lt Gen Sharif claimed that terrorism in Pakistan was sponsored by India and facilitated by Afghan Taliban elements. He said the Afghan Taliban played no role in the withdrawal of US and allied forces, but rather prepared and supported the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) within their organizational structure to support a “war economy”.
He said the United States left behind $7.2 billion worth of advanced weapons in Afghanistan that fell into the hands of militant groups. “These elements are clearly identified as Khawarij,” he said, adding that despite this, there were frequent calls to negotiate with them whenever action was taken.
The DG ISPR said clashes took place on the Pak-Afghan border during ‘Marka-e-Haq’ and again in October. “India was exposed and given a lesson of Marka-e-Haq,” he said, adding that as a result of this, India further fueled terrorism inside Pakistan.
Referring to what he called “Operation Sindoor”, he accused India of targeting women and children, saying the episode had left a lasting stain on India’s image. “No one gave India the right to target Pakistani civilians or infrastructure,” he said.
He added that terrorists had been targeted along the Pak-Afghan border and Afghan Taliban forces had attacked Pakistani posts, provoking a strong response. For the past three months, borders have been closed, he said, adding that “there are clear signs for those who understand.”
In October 2025, he said, dozens of Afghan posts were destroyed within hours during operations against terrorists. Lt Gen Sharif said Pakistan had complete evidence regarding the identity of the terrorists and those who sheltered them. Looking at 10 major terrorist incidents, he said all those involved were Afghan nationals.
He cited the Jaffar Express attack, in which 21 civilians were killed, the attack on a civilian bus in Noshki and an attempted attack on APS Wana, which he said sought to replicate the APS Peshawar tragedy. “The Jaffar Express incident will never be forgotten,” he said.
He also discussed attacks on Frontier Corps headquarters in Quetta and Peshawar, which resulted in civilian casualties. “This is the nation’s war, the war of all children,” he said, rejecting the idea that it was solely an army fight.
Dismissing claims that terrorists were crossing the border freely, DG ISPR said the infiltrators were being neutralized. “In April, 71 terrorists were killed,” he said, adding that militants crossed the border in organized formations and were eliminated wherever they were detected.
He rejected allegations that the Pakistani military had used drones to target civilians, saying terrorists were instead using armed quadcopters, even launching attacks from mosques, with India as the main sponsor. He said terrorists deliberately used women and children as human shields.
The military, he continued, only targeted terrorists and their enablers, and quadcopters were used only in sparsely populated areas or for surveillance purposes. “There is no collateral damage,” the chief military spokesperson said emphatically.
Lt Gen Sharif said the Peshawar Corps Commander visited the affected areas frequently and there was no division between the army and the people. Flood relief operations, infrastructure repairs and road clearance are underway, he said.
“The clarity that the Pakistani nation has enjoyed this year has never been clearer before,” he stressed. He said clarity regarding Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna-e-Hindustan existed in 2023 and remained firm in 2025. “No one can take us out of this narrative,” he said.
Religious scholars and elders, Lt Gen Sharif said, were also aligned with the message of ‘Paigham-e-Pakistan’. He criticized political speeches opposing counterterrorism operations, questioning what alternative was being proposed. “If military operations are not to be carried out, what should be done?” he asked. “Sit at the feet of Khawarij?
He said illegal weapons, narcotics and smuggling had direct links to terrorism and highlighted steps taken to curb the illegal fuel trade that previously financed militant activities. Concluding the briefing, DG ISPR said that Pakistan was constitutionally and legally obligated to protect its territory and citizens.
“For us, a terrorist has neither color nor shadow,” he said. “We have no sympathy for any terrorist. We are on the right path and the truth will prevail. We are proud to lead the war against terrorism.”
