Director General Inter-Service Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. Photo: File
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has firmly rejected Kabul’s claims of Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory, asserting that Pakistan does not conduct covert cross-border operations and always announces its actions publicly.
Speaking to senior journalists during an extended briefing on Tuesday, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the accusations by the Afghan Taliban regime were baseless.
Kabul had claimed that Pakistan “bombed” Khost province and carried out strikes in Kunar and Paktika – a charge he flatly denied.
In response to a question, he emphasized that Pakistan operates transparently. “Whenever we conduct an operation, we announce it openly. In October, when we struck inside Afghanistan, we informed everyone,” he said, adding that Pakistan never attacks civilians. “Our problem is not with the Afghan people, but with terrorism. Blood and trade cannot continue together – it cannot happen that we face attacks and still trade continues.”
He said committees overseeing counter-terrorism efforts were active and included military representatives, adding that the Balochistan government was fully implementing the National Action Plan while working against networks seeking to destabilize the economy.
On border security, he said the army and border corps were managing the border and referred to discussions in Doha and Istanbul where Afghan interlocutors had at times threatened to allow “6,000 TTP terrorists to enter Pakistan.”
Lieutenant General Chaudhry accused Afghan authorities and militants of pushing hostile narratives, including talk of a “Greater Pashtunistan”. He warned that senior Afghan officials themselves had issued statements signaling intentions to attack Pakistan.
He also pointed to the increased danger posed by US-made weapons left behind in Afghanistan. “American weapons were found even in the Mianwali terror attack. These missiles and weapons have become a threat to the whole world,” he said, adding that militants were using American weapons and bulletproof vehicles bought with narcotics money. Such weapons, he said, had turned up in 29 terror incidents in Pakistan.
Read: Afghan Taliban regime accuses Pakistan of airstrikes overnight
DG ISPR outlined extensive counter-terrorism operations across the country and stated that since January, 67,000 operations had been conducted – 1,387 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and 3,485 in Balochistan. Most operations, he said, took place in Balochistan, but Punjab and KP also remained active fronts. These operations resulted in 210 militants killed while Pakistan itself suffered heavy casualties.
“This year, 607 security personnel have been martyred. In November alone, 4,910 operations were conducted in which 57 Army and FC soldiers embraced martyrdom – 22 from the Army,” he said, adding that civilian casualties included 14 people while 11 martyrs belonged to the Frontier Corps.
He said Pakistan had tightened its borders and restricted smuggling even for those with permits. The Army and the Balochistan government, he added, had significantly reduced diesel smuggling from Iran, reducing it by Rs 20.2 billion. “Stopping smuggling at the border is primarily the responsibility of the provincial government, but we fully support them.”
Commenting on the case against former ISI chief Gen (r) Faiz Hameed, Lt Gen Chaudhry called for restraint. “The court-martial is a legal and judicial process. There should be no speculation. Once the process is complete, we will inform you.”
Reiterating Pakistan’s resolve, he said the fight against terrorism is one the country must – and will – win. “The war against terrorism must be won by the army and the people of Pakistan. Regardless of the nature of this war, Pakistan will prevail.”
