2,410 terrorists killed in last nine months

Interior ministry says 5,143 IBOs conducted, while 255,000 CNICs cancelled this year so far

ISLAMABAD:

Security forces neutralised 2,410 terrorists during 5,143 intelligence-based operations in the first nine months of 2026, while the government continues to face challenges in curbing online extremism, the National Assembly was informed on Wednesday.

According to details presented by the Interior Ministry, the operations also left 806 terrorists injured and resulted in the arrest of 3,518 others. The figures were shared alongside details of measures taken under the National Action Plan (NAP) to combat terrorism and extremist content online.

The ministry said the NAP was launched in 2014 and reviewed in 2021. The revised framework comprises 14 points and 245 key measures and serves as the country's primary counterterrorism strategy. However, it acknowledged that efforts to curb extremist material online had not received adequate attention.

The legal framework for tackling online extremism includes the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), under which the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority has been established. Action has also been initiated against individuals involved in spreading anti-state propaganda, the ministry told the house.

Social media platforms, however, have shown varying levels of compliance with requests to remove objectionable content. According to the ministry, the companies complied with 23.7% of requests made by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and 47% of those submitted by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD).

Platform-wise figures showed that X removed 7.4% of content in response to requests from state institutions, while YouTube removed 1.9% and Facebook 38%. The ministry said social media companies had yet to adopt government rules, leaving gaps in the regulatory framework.

Punjab accounted for 97.7% of requests concerning online extremist content, with the provincial CTD submitting the overwhelming majority. In Sindh and Balochistan, the compliance rate remained zero despite requests from the relevant authorities, according to the ministry.

The ministry also disclosed that the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) had sought more than Rs2.98 billion for the current fiscal year, but the government allocated Rs1.3326 billion. The government is considering upgrading Nacta to the status of a division to strengthen coordination among counterterrorism institutions nationwide.

In a separate disclosure, the Interior Ministry informed the National Assembly that more than 326,000 computerised national identity cards (CNICs) had been cancelled over the past five years, with 255,139 cancellations recorded in 2026 alone.

The ministry said 624 CNICs were cancelled in 2025, around 8,500 in 2024, 117 in 2023 and 62 in 2022. It attributed the cancellations to cases involving Afghan nationals who had obtained Pakistani identity cards through fraud and forgery, adding that the cards were cancelled after the cases were identified.