'Status quo won't work anymore': DG ISPR says 'political-criminal nexus' facilitating terrorism in KP

• DG ISPR blames weak governance for rising terror in KP.
• Over 900 terrorists killed in 2025, record operations continue.
• Lt Gen Chaudhry rejects talks with militants, urges national unity.

Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has affirmed Pakistan Armed Forces' renewed resolve to uproot terrorism and dismantle the "political-criminal nexus", which he says is responsible for the surge in militant incidents in the province.

Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Corps Headquarters on Friday, Lt Gen Chaudhry said all political leaders had agreed after the APS tragedy in 2014 to adopt a unified approach through the National Action Plan (NAP), but "subsequent governments failed to ensure continuity".

He added that while the revised plan was rebranded as "Azm-e-Istehkam" by the current government, "implementation on its 14 points remains incomplete".

He stressed that the revised plan must now be enforced in full.

"Even today, voices are being raised against counterterrorism operations," he remarked. "If every problem could be solved through dialogue, then why were the battles of Badr and Uhud fought?"

He questioned: "When India attacked Pakistan, why didn't anyone say we should negotiate the next day?"

"We must all unite to eliminate this cancer of terrorism once and for all," he said, adding that Pakistan's security forces and the people of KP had fought with unmatched bravery.

He reaffirmed the armed forces' resolve to uproot terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations", paying tribute to the security personnel and civilians who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

Later on, the ISPR chief said that terrorists and their facilitators were given space in KP under the "well thought out plot". The governance and public welfare were deliberately affected, he added.

Record number of operations, heavy sacrifices

Lt Gen Chaudhry said that in 2024, more than 14,535 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were conducted in KP, while 10,115 had already been carried out in 2025, averaging around 40 operations per day.

He said 769 terrorists were killed in 2024, while 917 were eliminated so far this year.

"In 2024, 577 Pakistanis were martyred, including 140 police personnel, 272 soldiers and FC officials, and 165 civilians," he noted.

"In 2025, 516 lives have been lost — 311 military personnel, 73 police officials, and 132 civilians."

The DG ISPR said the number of terrorists killed this year was the highest in a decade, adding that the increasing intensity of operations showed "the resilience of Pakistan's law enforcement apparatus".

He said: "It is an unfortunate reality that, under a calculated design, space was given to terrorists and their facilitators. The people of KP are now paying the price with their blood."

The DG ISPR said 161 Afghan nationals were killed in terrorist incidents over the past two years, while 135 were neutralised while infiltrating across the border, and nearly 30 suicide bombers had Afghan citizenship.

Afghan refugees, political narratives questioned

Lt Gen Chaudhry criticised political narratives opposing the repatriation of Afghan refugees, saying, "Today, a new narrative has emerged — that Afghan refugees should not be sent back. But it was decided in 2014, and reaffirmed in 2021, that repatriation must take place."

He added: "For decades, Pakistan has hosted our Afghan brothers with dignity, but when the state now asks them to return, it becomes politicised. Misleading claims and political opportunism have clouded a national policy decision that all political forces once agreed upon."

He said the Afghan issue had been "turned into politics", warning that misinformation campaigns were being run to "confuse the public".

"A fake and fabricated narrative is being built against the ongoing operations against terrorism and martyrs of Pakistan Army and police are being ridiculed," he noted, while describing it as a "nexus between political and criminal elements".

Blaming external involvement

The DG ISPR said India was using Afghan soil as a base of operations against Pakistan, with evidence of Indian proxies conducting terror attacks from Afghan territory.

He added that following the US withdrawal, a large cache of American weapons was left behind, much of which ended up in the hands of terrorist groups.

"Afghanistan must ensure that its soil is not used by non-state actors. Pakistan has provided concrete evidence of such activities to the Afghan authorities," he said.

Lt Gen Chaudhry revealed that 70% of terror incidents in 2025 occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with 3,984 attacks recorded this year alone.

"Why are 70% of incidents confined to KP?" he asked. "The answer lies in political patronage, criminal collusion, and weak governance."

Political responsibility and judicial failures

Highlighting the judicial and legal lacunas and shortcomings in prosecuting the terrorists, he said that as of August 2025, not a single terrorist had been convicted, with 34 cases pending, and the number of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) cases less than three years old stands at 2,878, whereas the number of pending cases more than three years old was 1,706.

It was decided in 2014 and 2021, and the CTD had to be strengthened to root out terrorism in KP.

"Currently, the operational strength of the KP CTD is 3,200 [...] is it enough?"

He revealed that from January to August, there were 33,389 illegal weapons cases and 10,087 narcotics cases in KP. Arrests were made in thousands, yet conviction rates remained minimal.

"If we truly wish to eradicate terrorism, we must strengthen CTD and judicial systems," he emphasised.

No negotiations with militant outfits

The DG ISPR dismissed suggestions for talks with militant outfits, saying: "Who are we to talk to — those who behead children and play football with their heads?"

He declared: "Pakistan's national security cannot be mortgaged to another country, especially Afghanistan. The Pakistan Army will make this land intolerable for foreign terrorists and their facilitators — regardless of who they are or what position they hold."

Lt Gen Chaudhry also warned local facilitators, saying they had three choices: surrender the terrorists to the state, assist security forces in eliminating them, or face state action.

"The status quo will no longer continue," he said firmly.

Paying tribute to fallen soldiers, police and civilians, the DG ISPR said: "The blood of our martyrs will never go in vain. No one will be allowed to politicise their sacrifices. Their courage has written a golden chapter in our history."

He saluted the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their resilience, adding: "They are standing like a wall of steel against terrorism."

Afghan engagement and regional security

The DG ISPR said Pakistan had engaged Afghanistan through multiple channels, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, before and after the Doha Agreement.

"Yet the space given to non-state actors in Afghanistan is not only against Pakistan's interests but also dangerous for Afghanistan itself," he said.

He urged the Afghan government to "seal the border" and prevent its territory from being used for attacks on Pakistan.

Governance and provincial responsibility

Lt Gen Chaudhry drew a sharp contrast between Sindh, Punjab, and KP.

"In Sindh and Punjab, governance exists — the police and law enforcement agencies are functioning. But in KP, rather than improving governance and the rule of law, terrorism is politicised under the guise of provincialism. Is that not itself a criminal act?"

Military professionalism and accountability

The DG ISPR reiterated that the Pakistan Army is an institution of the state, not of any individual or political group.

Responding to a question related to former DG ISI Faiz Hameed, he confirmed that the legal process is underway.

He went on to say that the court martial process within the army is transparent and based on facts, not allegations.

"Our relationship with the state is official, not personal. The army does not carry anyone's politics," he said.

"Whoever is charged is given a full opportunity to defend themselves. Accountability within the military is firm and institutional," he added.

National unity above personal politics

Lt Gen Chaudhry concluded by saying that all political parties and leaders were respectable for the military, but no one could place their personal or political interests above the state.

"If anyone believes their politics is greater than Pakistan, or their personality greater than the state itself, that is unacceptable," he warned.