Rawalpindi: Pakistan Army spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that the recent wave of terrorism across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other parts of the country stems from a nexus of political interests, local facilitators, and foreign powers.
Addressing a major press conference at Corps Headquarters Peshawar, the DG ISPR expressed concern that the National Action Plan (NAP) has not been fully implemented. He lamented that even on an issue as sensitive as terrorism, “political point-scoring” continues, which, he said, has divided the nation and ultimately benefited terrorists.
According to the army spokesperson, 10,115 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were conducted in 2025, during which 917 terrorists were killed and 516 Pakistanis embraced martyrdom. He revealed that terrorists continue to infiltrate from Afghanistan, adding that there have been 30 suicide attacks launched from Afghan soil, involving Afghan nationals.
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif noted that the conviction rate in terrorism cases remains alarmingly low, with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) lacking the required capacity. He disclosed that 2,878 terrorism-related cases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been pending for several years, and not a single terrorist has been convicted so far.
The DG ISPR emphasized that the fight against terrorism cannot be won through military action alone, calling for collective seriousness from the judiciary, police, intelligence agencies, and political leadership.
He warned, “If only one point of the National Action Plan is being implemented and the rest are ignored, how can we dream of ending terrorism completely?”
Accusing India of using Afghan territory for anti-Pakistan activities, Lt Gen Sharif also criticized opposition to the repatriation of Afghan refugees, saying, “When peace has been restored in Afghanistan, why politicize the return of refugees?”
The army spokesperson issued a stern warning to facilitators, offering them three choices — surrender terrorists to the state, cooperate with the government, or face the state’s power.
Concluding his briefing, he displayed images of Pakistan’s martyrs, remarking, “Politicizing their sacrifices is a national crime. The nation and the state will together win the war against terrorism.”
