Cross-border terrorism must be crushed with full state power, says CDF Munir to graduating NDU batch

The Chief of Defense Staff (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Wednesday reiterated that cross-border terrorism would be combated with full force and that those providing sanctuary and facilitation to militancy would be completely dismantled.

The remarks came during CDF Munir’s visit to the National Defense University (NDU) in Islamabad, where he addressed the graduating officers of the National Security and War Course, which includes participants from all services, the military’s media wing said in a statement.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), CDF Munir addressed the country’s security situation and “reiterated that terrorism emanating from across the borders will be crushed with full force by the state”. “The armed forces, with the support of the nation, will ensure that the terrorist sanctuaries of these proxies along with their facilitators are completely dismantled,” he added.

CDF Munir noted that the armed forces were “fully aware of state-sponsored attempts by hostile intelligence agencies to destabilize Pakistan”, adding that the efforts of such proxies and networks “operating under the supervision of hostile intelligence agencies are futile and will not be allowed to undermine Pakistan’s internal security and economic prosperity”.

He highlighted the evolving nature of warfare and emphasized the centrality of strategic clarity and institutional professionalism in navigating complex strategic issues.

The statement further added that the field marshal also highlighted that the military was recalibrating its employment and development strategies in line with the evolving nature of warfare. “The field marshal noted that wars are not won through media rhetoric or political sloganeering, but through faith, unity and discipline,” the statement said.

He also praised the role of institutions such as the NDU in “nurturing future military-civilian leadership capable of mitigating hybrid, conventional and sub-conventional threats with foresight, confidence and resolve”.

Read more: 11 soldiers martyred, 14 terrorists killed in army convoy attack in Balochistan’s Bela-Winder

CDF Munir concluded by expressing “full confidence in the professionalism, morale and operational readiness of the battle-hardened armed forces of Pakistan and urged the graduating officers to dutifully uphold the values ​​of integrity, selfless service and unwavering commitment to the nation”.

Earlier, during a press briefing, Director General of ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that India along with hostile elements were involved in terrorism inside Pakistan and could not tolerate the country’s stability and progress.

“They are using the territories under the control of this illegitimate Afghan Taliban regime as a base of operations. And the majority of the population when we first engaged them turned out to be Afghans,” he said.

He also referred to the recent terrorist attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi, saying there were four attackers, three of whom were Afghans.

“All the planning, all the equipment, everything was done from Afghanistan,” he added.

The Directorate General of ISPR said that there was a plan, mastermind, intent, logistics and operational sequence behind the recent terrorist activities in Balochistan.

“The relief is provided by the Afghan Taliban regime. They provide manpower. Because they have a problem with Pakistan’s dignity and development,” he said.

He added that such elements had a problem with the stability of the population of Pakistan and did not want Balochistan to prosper because, according to him, “Balochistan was the life, pride and glory of Pakistan.”

DG ISPR said the armed forces, under the command of Field Marshal Asim Munir, had absolute clarity on the threat and were acting under the policy guidance of the government.

“We will take on every terrorist, their facilitator, those who harbor them, those who supply them, those who give them bases wherever they are, without any distinction. Do not expect any kind of rationality and proportionality from us,” he promised.

Pakistan’s accusations against Afghanistan, India for supporting terrorism

Pakistan has repeatedly pointed to a link between Afghanistan and India behind terrorism in the country.

In November 2024, DG ISPR had issued a warning that the Afghan regime was a threat not just to Pakistan but to the entire region and the world, citing the abandonment of US military equipment worth $7.2 billion during the US withdrawal.

Chaudhry reiterated that the Afghan regime harbored “non-state actors” who posed a threat to various countries in the region, noting that the Taliban had not established an inclusive state and government after 2021. He stressed that Pakistan’s problem was with the Afghan Taliban regime, not the Afghan people.

Read more: Afghan regime poses threat to region, world: DG ISPR

After the conflict with India in May 2025, CDF Munir had said that Pakistan would never be coerced and that any hostile plans to derail the country’s fight against terrorism would be “comprehensively defeated”.

He had said that Pakistan’s military remained ready to respond across the entire conflict spectrum. In particular, he criticized India’s growing tendency to resort to unprovoked military aggression and warned that strategic stability in South Asia was increasingly fragile and dependent on justice, particularly in Kashmir.

In 2023, a UN report also revealed that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had established a new base in KP by mid-2023. The report shed light on close links not only between the TTP and the Afghan Taliban, but also with anti-Pakistani groups and al Qaeda.

Read this: breeding ground for terror

The report further revealed that some Taliban members had also joined the TTP, perceiving it as a religious obligation to provide support.

Interlocutors reported that TTP members and their families received regular aid packages from the Taliban.

Importantly, the UN report noted a significant increase in Afghan nationals in TTP ranks. This supported Pakistan’s position that an increasing number of Afghan nationals were involved in suicide attacks in the country.