Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Tuesday criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for opposing military operations against terrorism in the province.

Briefing the media on the country’s security situation and other important issues at the General Headquarters Rawalpindi, the DG ISPR said 71 per cent of terrorist incidents during the last year in Pakistan took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by 29 per cent in Balochistan and a small fraction in the rest of the country.

“Overall 5,397 terrorist incidents took place, with 3,811 in KP, which translates to 71%, 1,557 in Balochistan (29%), and 29 in the rest of the country,” the DG ISPR said, alleging that terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa enjoys political patronage.

He also said Afghans were involved in most of the terrorist attacks inside Pakistan in 2025.

He played a video of KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, in which the latter questioned why attacks were not carried out against other neighbouring countries of Afghanistan by terrorists.

The DG ISPR refuted the statement, showing reports of different neighbours complaining against the use of Afghan soil for terrorism on their soil.

“How can you say such a thing when a massive number of terrorist incidents have taken place in your province?” he questioned, adding that they build a false narrative while sitting in the assembly.

The PTI leadership is confronting the anti-terrorism operations at every forum, he added.

He said various countries around the world are expelling Afghans for their involvement in crimes.

“What should we do, if not carry out military operations against terrorists? Should we surrender before them? You have no answer to this,” he maintained, adding that the armed forces would not compromise on the security and sovereignty of Pakistan.

He said Pakistan held talks with the Afghan leadership at different levels, but to no avail.

“Why does the Fitna al-Khawarij not attack this political party? It is because they want to become the favourites of Fitna al-Khawarij; this political party is seeking help from Afghanistan,” he said.

Lt Gen Chaudhry stated that significant successes were achieved in the war against terrorism over the past year, with security forces conducting effective operations across various parts of the country.

He said that the fight against terrorism is not the struggle of a single institution but that of the entire nation, in which the cooperation of the public alongside security agencies is of utmost importance.

Overall, 75,175 intelligence-based operations were conducted in 2025, out of which 14,658 were conducted in KP, 58,778 in Balochistan and 1,739 in the rest of Pakistan, he added, providing details about the security situation in the country.

Showing ‘Kinetics of Counter-Terrorism Effort in Last 5 Years’ graph, Lt Gen Chaudhry apprised that the number of terrorist incidents rose sharply from 761 in 2021 to 5,397 in 2025.

He also said that the Khwarij have nothing to do with religion, stressing that they should be wiped out. Similarly, he said the Fitna al-Hindustan members have nothing to do with Balochistan.

The DG ISPR stated that there is a consensus among all stakeholders regarding the National Action Plan; however, there still remain shortcomings and room for further improvement in its implementation.

He further added that security forces and the public have made immense sacrifices in this long and difficult war against terrorism, with 1,235 individuals embracing martyrdom last year.

The military spokesperson shared that a total of 27 suicide attacks occurred across the country in 2025, 16 of which were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa only. He noted that two of these suicide attacks were carried out by women.

He said Afghans were involved in the majority of the terrorist attacks inside Pakistan last year.

Afghanistan situation

While discussing the situation in Afghanistan, the military spokesperson lambasted the Afghan rulers for failing to meet their promises. He said the change of power materialised in Afghanistan in 2021, following the Doha agreement.

“They [Afghan Taliban] said that they would bring an inclusive government, Afghan soil would not be allowed to be used for terrorism, and women would be given their rights, but these three big promises were not fulfilled.

“Different ethnicities are living in Afghanistan, but the government does not reflect inclusivity,” he said.

The DG ISPR stated that the neighbouring country has become a haven for terrorists, with various terrorist organisations from around the world operating from there.

He remarked that groups such as Al-Qaeda, Daesh, the BLA, and the TTP have sanctuaries in Afghanistan, which is impacting not only Pakistan but also other neighbouring countries.

The DG ISPR revealed that, according to recent information, about 2,500 terrorists have arrived in Afghanistan from Syria, posing a serious threat to regional security.

He urged the international community to take notice, as Afghanistan’s neighbours are suffering from terrorism due to this situation.

The military spokesperson noted that the actual reasons for the withdrawal of allied forces from Afghanistan were different. He pointed out that despite spending $134 billion in Afghanistan, the allied forces failed to establish sustainable peace.

The DG ISPR stated that the United States left behind a large quantity of modern weaponry during its withdrawal from Afghanistan, which is now being used in terrorist activities.

He added that this weaponry is increasing threats not only for Pakistan but for the entire region.

According to the Lt Gen, while there are calls for negotiations with the Afghan Taliban, ground realities cannot be ignored.

He mentioned that terrorists attacked a mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, after which Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir personally visited Peshawar and took a clear stance against terrorism while standing on the ruins of that mosque.

The DG ISPR also stated that if even five per cent of the level of terrorism faced by Pakistan were to occur in any other country, that state would not be able to survive.

He said that during the tensions on the Pak-Afghan border last October, Pakistan repeatedly advised Afghanistan to rein in the Khawarij terrorists; however, when no progress was made, Afghan posts were targeted within hours.

During these skirmishes, direct attacks were launched from Afghanistan against Pakistani border posts, after which Pakistan closed the border and carried out a full and effective retaliatory strike, he said.

He clarified that Pakistan did not target the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan, but rather hit the terrorist sanctuaries of the TTP. He said certain circles claimed that Pakistan launched an attack on Afghanistan similar to “Operation Sindoor”.

India’s role in terrorism

The DG ISPR further stated that India is using terrorists as proxies in the region, providing these groups with arms and financial resources. He stated that security agencies possess evidence in this regard, and the matter has become a serious threat to regional peace.

The military spokesperson stated that India faced a humiliating defeat during the ‘Maarka-e-Haq’.

He remarked that the stain of the failure of Operation Sindoor has yet to be washed from India’s face.

The military spokesperson stated that India targeted women and children during “Operation Sindoor”, whereas Pakistan’s actions remained restricted to specific targets and were directed solely against terrorists.

The DG ISPR said that India attempted to use Afghanistan as a proxy, and Pakistan had already sent a message to Afghanistan to desist from such activities.