DG ISPR rejects Kabul’s airstrike claims, says Pakistan ‘does not operate covertly’

Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has firmly rejected Kabul’s allegations of Pakistani air strikes on Afghan territory, asserting that Pakistan does not conduct covert cross-border operations and always announces its actions publicly.

Speaking during media briefing on Tuesday, Lt Gen Chaudhry said accusations issued by the Afghan Taliban regime were baseless.

Kabul had claimed that Pakistan “bombed” Khost province and carried out strikes in Kunar and Paktika — a charge he dismissed outright.

Responding to a question, he stressed that Pakistan operates transparently. “Whenever we carry out an operation, we announce it openly. In October, when we struck inside Afghanistan, we informed everyone,” he said, adding that Pakistan never targets civilians. “Our issue is not with the Afghan people but with terrorism. Blood and trade cannot continue together—this cannot happen that we face attacks and still carry on trade.”

He said committees overseeing counterterrorism efforts were active and included military representatives, adding that the Balochistan government was fully implementing the National Action Plan while working against networks seeking to destabilise the economy.

On border security, he said the Army and Frontier Corps were managing the frontier and referred to discussions held in Doha and Istanbul where Afghan interlocutors had at times threatened to allow “6,000 TTP terrorists to enter Pakistan.”

Lt Gen Chaudhry accused Afghan authorities and militants of pushing hostile narratives, including talk of a 'Greater Pashtunistan.' He warned that senior Afghan officials themselves had issued statements signalling intentions to attack Pakistan.

He also pointed to the heightened danger posed by US-made weapons left behind in Afghanistan. “American weapons were recovered even in the Mianwali terror attack. These missiles and arms have become a threat to the whole world,” he said, adding that militants used US weapons and bulletproof vehicles purchased with narcotics money. Such weapons, he said, had appeared in 29 terror incidents inside Pakistan.

The DG ISPR outlined extensive counterterrorism operations across the country, stating that since January, 67,000 operations had been conducted — 1,387 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and 3,485 in Balochistan. Most operations, he said, were taking place in Balochistan, but Punjab and K-P also remained active fronts. These operations resulted in 210 militants killed, while Pakistan suffered heavy losses of its own.

“This year, 607 security personnel have been martyred. In November alone, 4,910 operations were carried out, during which 57 soldiers of the Army and FC embraced martyrdom — 22 from the Army,” he said, adding that civilian casualties included 14 people, while 11 martyrs belonged to the Frontier Corps.

He said Pakistan had tightened its borders, restricting smuggling even for those holding permits. The Army and Balochistan government, he added, had significantly reduced diesel smuggling from Iran, cutting it by Rs20.2 billion. “Stopping smuggling at the border is primarily the responsibility of the provincial government, but we are supporting them fully.”

Reiterating Pakistan’s resolve, he said the fight against terrorism is one the country must — and will — win. “The war against terrorism has to be won by the Army and the people of Pakistan. Whatever the nature of this war, Pakistan will prevail.”