RAWALPINDI (MNN); Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday said the Afghan Taliban must make a clear decision between standing with Pakistan or siding with terrorist organisations.
Addressing a detailed briefing on the security forces’ response to what he termed unprovoked aggression by the Afghan Taliban, he stated that the Afghan Taliban regime had to choose between Pakistan and groups such as Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
He said the government of Pakistan had already made its position clear and reiterated that Pakistan’s choice would always be its national interest above everything else. He added that the Pakistan Army and the people had never hesitated to make sacrifices for this stance and would continue to do so.
Providing operational details, the DG ISPR said Afghan Taliban forces, in coordination with militants referred to as Fitna al Khawarij — a term used by the state for the banned TTP — carried out firing and physical raids at 53 locations along the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said Pakistan’s armed forces responded immediately and effectively, repulsing attacks at all locations. According to him, the attackers used armed quadcopters and various weapons, which were neutralised.
He said that under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, launched in response to the cross-border attacks, 274 Taliban regime personnel and militants had been killed and over 400 injured. Seventy-three Afghan Taliban posts along the border were destroyed and 18 were captured. He added that 115 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces had also been destroyed.
The DG ISPR said airstrikes targeted 22 locations in Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika, focusing on military installations allegedly supporting militant activities. He maintained that targets were selected based on intelligence and that care was taken to avoid civilian casualties.
He confirmed that 12 Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred, 27 injured and one missing in action.
Rejecting allegations circulating on Afghan media and social platforms about civilian infrastructure being targeted, he insisted that only military sites involved in attacks on Pakistan were hit.
He warned that any future terrorist activity inside Pakistan would be met with action not only against perpetrators but also against their facilitators and protectors, stating that no sanctuary would remain safe.
Earlier, the Foreign Office said Pakistan’s actions were in exercise of its right to self-defence and warned that further provocations by the Afghan Taliban regime or terrorist groups would receive a measured and decisive response.
Meanwhile, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP that his side wanted dialogue and had repeatedly called for a peaceful resolution.
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon alleged that the Afghan Taliban regime had become an Indian proxy and said terrorist activities in Pakistan were being orchestrated from Afghan territory.
Security forces also foiled a drone attack attempt in Abbottabad, according to local police. Following recent incidents, the Islamabad administration imposed a two-month ban on unmanned aerial vehicles in the federal capital under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Responding to a question about political coordination, the DG ISPR said all political parties were united against terrorism and that there was no space for terrorist facilitation in Pakistan. He noted that the National Action Plan had been formed with consensus among political forces.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty, discussing regional developments. According to the Foreign Office, Dar described Pakistan’s response as measured but decisive.
The DG ISPR reiterated that Pakistan’s armed forces remained prepared on both eastern and western borders and emphasised that any territory used for terrorism against Pakistan would not remain beyond reach.
