Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan remains fully prepared to defend its borders and protect its people. He emphasized that the country is sovereign in formulating its national policies and decisions.
Speaking informally to journalists, the DG ISPR said the decision regarding the deployment of any Gaza peacekeeping force will be taken by the government and parliament.
He said the Pakistan Army has carried out 62,113 intelligence-based operations this year, in which 582 officers and soldiers embraced martyrdom and 1,667 terrorists were killed under the ongoing operation against Fitan al-Khawarij. Most of these operations were conducted in Balochistan.
General Ahmed Sharif said during the recent Pakistan–Afghanistan border tensions, 206 Afghan Taliban fighters and 112 terrorists of Fitan al-Khawarij were killed. He added that around 60 percent of the militants neutralized during cross-border infiltration attempts were Afghan nationals.
He stated that the TTP has pledged allegiance to the Amir of the Afghan Taliban, describing the TTP as an extension of the Afghan Taliban. He alleged that Afghan Taliban elements are providing safe havens to terrorists in densely populated areas.
The DG ISPR stressed that the Pakistan Army does not want to be involved in politics and urged that the armed forces should be kept away from political matters. “The Army’s focus is solely on the security and stability of Pakistan,” he said.
He said criminal and terrorist groups are a major hindrance to curbing smuggling and organized crime in the country. The DG ISPR clarified that the authority to impose Governor’s Rule rests entirely with the government.
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Commenting on Afghanistan, General Ahmed Sharif said Pakistan’s policy is clear and consistent: “Our only agenda with Afghanistan is that its soil should not be used against Pakistan.” He said Pakistan’s response to cross-border terrorism has been swift and effective, and efforts are ongoing to resolve issues with Afghanistan through dialogue.
The DG ISPR also drew attention to the narcotics trade, saying large quantities of drugs are being smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan. He said poppy cultivation in areas such as Tirah Valley has been destroyed through coordinated operations involving drones, the Anti-Narcotics Force, and Frontier Corps. Around 12,000 acres of land in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was under poppy cultivation, with per-acre profits between Rs 1.8 million and Rs 3.2 million, he noted, adding that some local figures were also involved in this illegal activity.
He said Afghanistan’s drug smugglers have influence in Afghan politics, and Afghan Taliban provide protection to those who facilitate the drug trade, as poppy is processed into ice and other narcotics within Afghanistan.
On regional security, the DG ISPR alleged that India is preparing another false-flag operation in deep waters, warning that “whatever India plans—on land, sea, or air—Pakistan’s response this time will be stronger and more decisive than before.”
General Ahmed Sharif also highlighted that the number of madrassas in Pakistan has risen from 48,000 in 2014 to over 100,000 today.
He reaffirmed that Pakistan is determined to eradicate terrorism, smuggling, and organized crime, and that the armed forces will continue their operations until peace and stability are fully restored across the country.