PESHAWAR:
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday criticized past politicization of counter-terrorism operations and repatriation of Afghan refugees, saying it had created space for anti-state elements to regroup in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and fueled a resurgence of attacks in the province.
Addressing a press conference at the Corps Headquarters in Peshawar, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said Pakistan’s National Action Plan (NAP), first formulated after the 2014 APS attack and revised in 2021, has not been fully implemented beyond kinetic operations.
“No solid efforts were made to strengthen the legal system, madrassa reforms and equip the CTD, especially in KP,” he said, adding that there are about 4,355 religious seminaries in KP, of which only about 55 per cent are registered.
He recalled that in 2021, the then government “removed certain provisions of the plan – despite progress in those areas – and introduced a revised version.” All parties recommitted to enforcing the plan, “but implementation remains unimplemented.”
Without naming any party, he attributed the worsening security situation in KP to internal failures. “The provincial government has fallen into the nexus between terrorism and crime,” he said, referring to illegal activities such as narcotics trafficking and non-custom payment vehicles that “allowed anarchy to flourish and terrorism to multiply.”
“When the suggestion was made to seal the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, there were people in power who opposed it, only to maintain their criminal activities,” he added. “Terrorism exists today because we do not follow the National Action Plan.”
The DG ISPR said the roots of terrorism lie not only across the border but also in Pakistan’s governance failures. “Why is 70 per cent of all terrorist activity taking place in KP and Balochistan, and not in two other provinces? The answer is good governance,” he said.
He accused the KP government of politicizing counterterrorism and weakening the state’s resolve by seeking negotiations with militants. “Calling for talks with non-state actors is a failure of governance,” he stressed.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry insisted that talks cannot be held with anti-state elements or Fitnaul Khwarij who kill innocents and attack security forces, warning that the status quo of addressing terrorism through dialogue “will no longer be tolerated.”
He urged the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to support the security forces to break the political-criminal-terrorist nexus by disrupting smuggling and illicit trafficking which were the main causes of terrorism.
Providing operational statistics, DG ISPR said that terrorist incidents in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa increased after 2021, resulting in intensified counter-terrorism operations. He reported that 14,535 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were carried out in KP last year, resulting in the death of 769 terrorists.
He said 577 people, including 271 security personnel and 165 civilians, were martyred during that period. The army spokesperson added that an average of 40 IBOs are carried out daily in KP, killing about three terrorists per day. Since September 15 of this year, he said, 10,115 IBOs produced 917 eliminated terrorists and 516 fatalities, including 311 soldiers and 73 police officers.
“The number of terrorists killed this year is more than in the last 10 years,” he said and questioned why KP courts do not punish terrorists.
The DG ISPR defended the precision of the operations and said special care is taken to avoid collateral damage. “Our martyrs are our pride. Pakistan Army officers are leading from the front for the safety of our people in counter-terrorism operations that have hardly been seen in the world,” he said.
He warned the facilitators of “Fitna al Khwarij” to hand them over to the state or prepare for strong military action.
He said the facilitators “have no choice but to cooperate with security forces to eliminate these terrorists or face forceful action.”
He reiterated that Fitnaul Khwarij’s facilitation is unacceptable and vowed that the anti-terrorism campaign will continue despite political distractions and negative propaganda in KP.
“Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the people of Pakistan have borne the burden of terrorism bravely and steadfastly and their sacrifices will not be in vain,” he said. “The war on terrorism is a battle for our survival and will be fought collectively.”
The DG ISPR claimed that elements inside Afghanistan, including Indian-sponsored proxies and non-state actors, were being used to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
He said border security is a shared responsibility between countries, but accused actors along the western border of facilitating Fitnaul Khawarij, smuggling and illicit narcotics trade that are having negative effects in Pakistan.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry warned that propagandists criticizing counter-terrorism operations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa while advocating illicit trade and smuggling amount to supporting infiltration of unwanted elements involved in subversive acts in KP.
He vowed that operations against the crime-terrorism nexus and illicit narcotics trafficking will continue until Fitnaul Khwarij is defeated at all costs.
He described Afghanistan as a neighboring and brotherly country, adding that Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for three decades and facilitated transit trade and medical assistance to Afghans.
Referring to the Doha agreement, he said the interim Afghan government has the responsibility to ensure that Afghan soil is not used against Pakistan. Pakistan has raised its concerns over terrorism with Afghan authorities at different levels, citing the recent visits to Afghanistan by Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry warned that Pakistan will protect the lives and properties of its citizens and will not allow anyone to question the orders of the state.
He also reiterated that weapons and ammunition worth an estimated $7.2 billion were left in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal fueled terrorism in the region and warned that these weapons could also be used by terrorists anywhere in the world for monetary gain.
Reiterating that the military should not be dragged into politics, he described May 9 as a “black day” when government and security facilities came under attack and said those responsible are being prosecuted according to the law.
He also highlighted the need for a strong judicial system to counter crimes on social media.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan remains resolute in the fight against terrorism. “We fight for Pakistan and support the democratic parliamentary system,” and warned that no individual or group will be able to politicize the blood of the martyrs.
He said nefarious propaganda was behind terrorism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and all stakeholders have great responsibilities to work together to repel such propagandists, imperative for the peace and economic prosperity of the country.
