RAWALPINDI (MNN); Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Tuesday that Afghan nationals were involved in all major high-impact terrorist incidents in Pakistan during 2025, describing the year as a decisive and landmark phase in the country’s fight against terrorism.
Addressing a detailed press conference, the DG ISPR said the sole purpose of the briefing was to present a comprehensive overview of counter-terrorism efforts carried out over the past year, stressing that terrorism remains the biggest threat facing the Pakistani state.
He said counter-terrorism was a national struggle spanning more than two decades, but 2025 stood out due to the unprecedented intensity of operations, national consensus, global acknowledgement of Pakistan’s stance, and the reinvigoration of the National Action Plan (NAP).
The DG ISPR stated that in 2025, the state and people of Pakistan achieved complete clarity on terrorism, reiterating that terrorists have no connection with Islam, Pakistan or Balochistan. He said groups operating under the banners of Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan were enemies of the state, backed by external sponsors.
He noted that the international community had increasingly recognised Pakistan’s position that Afghanistan had become a base for terrorist operations, adding that the revised NAP and Operation Azm-i-Istehkam were being implemented with political consensus, though challenges in execution remained.
Sharing statistics, the DG ISPR said law enforcement agencies conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations in 2025, averaging 206 operations per day. Of these, over 58,000 were carried out in Balochistan and more than 14,000 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said 5,397 terrorist incidents were recorded nationwide last year, with the majority occurring in KP and Balochistan. A total of 2,597 terrorists were killed, while 1,235 security personnel and civilians were martyred. Twenty-seven suicide attacks took place, including two carried out by female bombers.
Explaining the surge in terrorism after 2021, the DG ISPR linked it to developments in Afghanistan following the Doha Agreement, stating that commitments made by the Afghan Taliban were not fulfilled and that Afghanistan had turned into a hub for multiple terrorist organisations.
He alleged that the Afghan Taliban were providing shelter, training and organisational support to the TTP, while India was acting as the principal financier and patron of terrorism in Pakistan. He said modern US military equipment left behind in Afghanistan was now being used by terrorist groups.
Referring to cross-border operations, the DG ISPR said Pakistan’s strikes along the Pak-Afghan border in October 2025 targeted only TTP militants and not Afghan civilians or Taliban posts, stressing there was no comparison with India’s actions in May 2025.
He said terrorism declined after the border closure and highlighted that Pakistan alone has the constitutional right to act against its citizens involved in terrorism.
The DG ISPR identified intelligence-based operations, border engagements, and technical surveillance as the three core pillars of counter-terrorism. He rejected claims of indiscriminate drone use, stating that drones were used only for surveillance and terrorists themselves had carried out hundreds of armed quadcopter attacks.
Highlighting progress under NAP in Balochistan, he praised district-level coordination committees, improved policing, development projects, and action against smuggling and terror financing.
On Afghan repatriation, he said refugee camps had been cleared in Punjab and Balochistan, while progress in KP remained slow. He added that intelligence coordination through newly established bodies had helped avert major attacks, including one in Karachi.
Concluding his briefing, the DG ISPR said Pakistan would continue the fight against terrorism with unity of purpose and narrative, asserting that no power could stop the nation from defeating terrorism.
