Banned outfits provided sanctuaries, support on Afghan territory: ISPR

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Friday that terrorist outfits were being provided “sanctuaries, support, and are allowed unrestrained activities on Afghan territory”.

The press conference takes place amid heightened security concerns, with a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces and other law enforcement agencies, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This is the fifth media briefing by the ISPR spokesperson this year.

Addressing the press conference today in Rawalpindi, Gen Chaudhry also touched upon Pakistan’s ties with Afghanistan.

“All evidence related to terrorism can be traced back to the safe havens enjoyed by terrorists in Afghanistan. The army chief has a clear and straight-forward stance on this: that Pakistan has reservations on banned organsiations’ sanctuaries, support, and unrestrained activities on Afghan territory,” he asserted.

“Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to eliminate the terrorist networks and keep our citizens safe.”

Islamabad has repeatedly demanded Kabul to take action against hideouts of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on its soil.

“Everyone knows that Pakistan has wholeheartedly tried for peacekeeping in Afghanistan. Pakistan has played the most important role in the stability of Afghanistan,” Gen Chaudhry said, noting that Pakistan has hosted Afghan refugees for a long time.

“Pakistan has, on a state level, pointed out to the Afghan interim government that Fitna al Khawarij and various other terrorists have continued terrorist activities in Pakistan using Afghan soil,” he recalled.

He added that the repatriation of illegal Afghan citizens from Pakistan was underway. “From September 2023 till now, 815,000 illegal Afghan citizens have gone returned [to their Afghanistan].”

Responding to a question, the ISPR DG said Pakistan “fully respected” Afghanistan’s sovereignty and termed it a brother Islamic nation. “But we want that they do not give kharijis and terrorists precedence over Pakistan,” he added.

“The army chief has said that one Pakistani’s life and protection is above Afghanistan,” he said, adding that if the terrorists’ “blood-stained hands receive strength and aid from across the border, then the status quo is no more acceptable”.

Gen Chaudhry went on to say: “Not only geographical borders, but technical and legal actions are being taken step-wise to protect your digital borders as well.”

Noting that work under the Western Border Management Regime was near completion, the ISPR official stated that the armed forces had cleared “72 per cent of the area in the tribal districts from minefields”.

“During this, mines and unexploded ordinances have been recovered.”

He said that upon the instructions of the government, the Pakistan Army was currently playing its role in a crackdown against smuggling, drugs, electricity theft and hoarders.

“Different nationwide operations were carried out under a holistic strategy, following which there has been a significant decrease in illegal activities,” Gen Chaudhry asserted.

“After the imposition of the One Document Regime, illegal border crossings have significantly declined. There has also been a marked difference in the use of passports, and smuggling has also decreased,” he added.

LoC violations on border with India

Addressing matters relating to the Line of Control (LoC) on the border with India, Gen Chaudhry stated: “In the current year, India carried out different ceasefire violations on a micro level several times.

“These included 25 ceasefire violations, 564 speculative fires, 61 airspace violations, and 181 tactical airspace violations.”

Noting that the state was fully aware of the dangers posed by India on the eastern front, the DG ISPR asserted: “India, as usual, is planning to establish dominance in the region while trying to divert attention from its internal conflicts.”

“This year, the Indian government also carried out some false flag operations, intending to divert attention from its internal politics and tensions,” he said, adding that all information related to these false flag operations was spread through propaganda social media accounts linked to India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

“At the LoC, the Pakistan Army possesses full ability to counter any aggression from India. This is also clear, that at any expense, for our integrity and self-determination, we are ready to render sacrifices at all times.”

The military spokesman said India was carrying out massive atrocities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and was “killing innocent Kashmiris during illegal operations for the whole world to see”.

“Our principal stance is to stand with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which we will continue doing. The Indian government is openly employing state terrorism tactics, including the target killings of Sikhs,” he stated.

Record-high terrorists killed in 2024

Gen Chaudhry said security forces conducted a total of 59,775 operations this year, noting that Pakistan has rendered a lot of sacrifices in its fight against terrorism.

“During these successful operations, 925 terrorists, including khawarij, were sent to hell while numerous were arrested,” he said, highlighting that the number of terrorists killed was the largest in the last five years.

In July, the government designated the banned TTP as Fitna al Khawarij, while mandating all institutions to use the term khariji (outcast) when referring to the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan.

Gen Chaudhry said he would speak on “important matters of 2024, especially matters relating to national security, country’s defence in view of the changing regional situation, interior security, and counterterrorism efforts this year”.

He added he would also speak on the armed forces’ training exercises and steps taken for people’s welfare.

The ISPR official stated that “more than 179 operations” were being conducted on a daily basis by the Pakistan Army, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and the police.

Gen Chaudhry noted that during the security operations, the forces also successfully eliminated 73 “high-value targets, most-wanted terrorists”.

These, he said, included Fitna al Khawarij leader from Malakand Division Mian Syed urf Qureshi, Mohsin Qadir of Fitna al Khawarij’s Malakand Division, Attaullah urf Mehran who was involved in an attack on a diplomatic convoy in Swat, Fadaur Rehman urf Lal from Zhob Division, Ali Rehman and Abu Yahya.

He further said that “27 Afghan terrorists were also sent to hell”.

The DG ISPR said that during the counterterrorism operations, “383 brave officers and soldiers embraced martyrdom”, paying them tribute for sacrificing their lives for the country’s peace.

“We have no doubt that we will continue this war against terrorism until the death of the last khawarij,” he vowed.

Answering a query on the effectiveness of intelligence-based operations (IBOs), Gen Chaudhry responded: “In the war against terrorism, there is a fundamental thing that the army and the LEAs fight against the terrorist [but] the nation fights against terrorism. All segments and political parties agree on this point.”

Referring to the National Action Plan (NAP) of 2014, its revised version from 2021, and the Azm-i-Istehkam campaign, the ISPR DG stressed that it had been decided that the entire nation had to combat terrorism together with all state institutions.

He emphasised that while kinetic actions were the responsibility of the army and the security forces, “terrorism would be eliminated when justice is established in those areas”.

“When there would be education, health, administration and good governance; when there would be a consensus between the education system and madressahs; and most of all, when the nexus of terrorism and crime would break,” he added.

Reiterating that the was a “spectrum” of illegal activities — including smuggling, extortion, non-custom-paid vehicles, and kidnapping — the DG ISPR said “fake news and propaganda are also part of this illegal spectrum”.

Gen Chaudhry termed it as unfortunate that “when you review this illegal spectrum, you will see political backing as well at various points”, adding that it attempted to prevent steps determined under the NAP to counter such illegal activities.

“If the elite of Pakistan come together to decide to break the illegal spectrum, make the laws, strictly act on them and also hand out punishments, then not only would you see the terrorism and lawlessness operating under this illegal spectrum ending but also see Pakistan on the path to prosperity.”

According to the interior ministry, in the first 10 months of this year, 948 out of 1,566 terrorism incidents reported occurred in KP, resulting in 583 deaths (out of a total of 924 martyrdom).

On the counterterrorism front, 341 terrorists were killed in 2,801 IBOs during the same period, the interior ministry report said.

In a recent major attack, 16 soldiers were martyred last week when terrorists attacked a checkpost in Makeen in KP’s South Waziristan district, while eight terrorists were also killed as the armed forces responded.

In a subsequent IBO in the district, 13 terrorists were killed. The next day, another 13 terrorists were killed during three separate security operations in the province’s Bannu, North Waziristan and South Waziristan districts.

Counterterrorism efforts in Balochistan

Speaking on action taken against terrorism in Balochistan, the DG ISPR detailed that some high-value targets were eliminated in the region.

He said that “Baloch terrorists’ most-wanted leaders Sana urf Baro, Bashir urf Pir Jan, Niaz urf Gumman, Zareef Shah Jehan, Hazrat Ali urf Asad, Lak Jan Chakirabadi urf Sawara were also sent to hell”.

Terming it a major success, he highlighted that two suicide bombers-to-be — Insafullah urf Talha and Roohullah hailing from Afghanistan — were apprehended by security forces and “their evil intentions were thwarted”.

Gen Chaudhry noted that 10 suicide bombing jackets, and more than 250kg of explosives and weapons were recovered from the two.

Referring to statements made by Adeela Khudabaksh and Mahil Abdul Hamid — alleged women terrorists arrested from Balochistan — the DG ISPR said they both “revealed how terrorists brainwashed innocent people and were using the youth to rebel against the state”.

“Due to state institution’s excellent plan of action, 14 wanted terrorists put down their arms and joined the national mainstream, including Najeebullah urf Ustad urf Darwesh, Rasheed urf Tamash, and Fitna al Khawarij leader Naheed.”

Today’s press conference also comes amid recent developments in cases relating to the military’s self-accountability and action against suspects of last year’s May 9 riots.

In the past week, the military has also announced prison terms ranging from two to ten years for 85 civilians over countrywide violent protests on May 9 last year, which it says were coordinated by the PTI.

Earlier this month, former intelligence chief retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, whose arrest by the military was announced in August, was indicted on “charges of engaging in political activities”.

In his last press conference on September 5, the DG ISPR had noted that Field General Court Martial (FGCM) proceedings against Gen Hameed were initiated following a “detailed inquiry based on concrete evidence”.

On August 5, Gen Chaudhry had said that not enough was being done against “digital terrorism” under the law, allowing fake news and propaganda to spread in the country.

More to follow