— DG ISPR says abandoned US weapons fueling regional militancy
— Says Pakistan conducted over 67,000 IBOs this year, killed nearly 1,900 terrorists
— Smuggling crackdown, cross-border terror and “Fitna al-Khawarij” network under spotlight: DGISPR
— Islamabad seeks verifiable mechanism with Kabul, says bloodshed and trade ‘cannot coexist’: DGISPR
RAWALPINDI: The Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has warned that the Afghan Taliban regime now poses a threat not only to Pakistan but to regional and global security — a situation exacerbated by the abandonment of $7.2 billion worth of American military equipment during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Speaking to senior journalists in a detailed briefing on national security, Lt Gen Chaudhry outlined the scale of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operations and criticised Kabul’s refusal to curb cross-border attacks or dismantle militant sanctuaries operating on Afghan soil. He said the Afghan Taliban’s continued patronage of terrorist outfits has created an increasingly dangerous environment for the entire region.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistani security forces have conducted 4,910 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) since November 4, 2025, eliminating 206 terrorists. Overall, he added, a total of 67,023 IBOs have been carried out nationwide this year, resulting in the deaths of 1,873 terrorists — 136 of whom were identified as Afghan nationals.
Discussing the challenges of policing the Pak-Afghan border, he underscored the scale and complexity of the terrain, especially the 1,229-kilometre stretch in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that contains 20 crossing points. He said the porous border continues to be exploited by militants sneaking into Pakistan with the apparent blessing of authorities in Kabul.
A key focus of the briefing was what the DG ISPR described as a “very strong political–terror–crime nexus” operating across the frontier. He said this network, supported by the “Fitna al-Khawarij,” uses millions of non-custom-paid vehicles freely circulating in Pakistan to conduct suicide attacks. He questioned why such vehicles continue to roam unchecked, pointing to the deep link between illegal smuggling and terror financing.
Lt Gen Chaudhry revealed that Pakistan’s crackdown on Iranian diesel smuggling has dramatically reduced the daily smuggled volume from 20.5 million litres to 2.7 million litres. He added that proceeds from this illicit trade had been funding groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Youth Council (BYC).
Reiterating Pakistan’s adherence to the Doha Agreement, the DG ISPR demanded that the Afghan regime halt its facilitation of terrorists whose leadership, networks and infrastructure — including those belonging to al-Qaeda and Daesh — remain active inside Afghanistan, armed and financed for operations against Pakistan. Islamabad, he said, is ready to accept any “verifiable mechanism,” even if administered by a third party.
Rejecting Kabul’s claim that militants operating from Afghanistan are Pakistani citizens who migrated voluntarily, Lt Gen Chaudhry challenged the Afghan authorities to hand over any Pakistani national so that they can be tried under Pakistani law.
He further asserted that the Afghan Taliban are hosting “Non-State Actors” posing a threat to multiple regional countries, highlighting the regime’s failure to form an inclusive government after 2021. He emphasised that Pakistan’s dispute is with the Taliban authorities — not the Afghan people — and criticised Kabul’s exclusion of ethnic groups and its denial of rights to women, who make up half the population.
Concluding, the DG ISPR said Pakistan cannot allow trade with Afghanistan to continue while terrorism persists, stressing that “bloodshed and trade cannot go together” and that Pakistan’s foremost responsibility is the protection of its citizens’ lives and property.
