Bloodshed and trade cannot go together: DG ISPR

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that Pakistan’s security forces killed a total of 1,873 terrorists across the country this year, including 136 Afghan nationals.

The DG ISPR held a detailed briefing with senior journalists on November 25 regarding national security matters.

He said that 67,023 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were conducted in the country this year. These included 12,857 operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 53,309 in Balochistan.

He added that since November 4, security forces conducted 4,910 IBOs, killing 206 terrorists.

Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif said that misleading propaganda is often spread about Pakistan’s border management. He explained that the Pakistan-Afghanistan border passes through extremely difficult terrain. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s portion of the border is 1,229 km long with 20 crossing points, and posts along the border can be 20–25 km apart, he added.

He stressed that border fencing alone is not fully effective without observation and fire support. "Setting up posts every few kilometers and maintaining drone surveillance would require massive resources. Unlike Punjab and Sindh, border villages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are divided across both sides, making movement control a major challenge," he added.

He stated that effective border management requires cooperation from both countries, but Afghan Taliban authorities are facilitating the infiltration of terrorists into Pakistan.

He said areas across the Afghan border suffer from weak governance and a strong political-terror-crime nexus that supports militant activity.

The DG ISPR questioned who is responsible for stopping smuggling and unchecked movement if activities originate from across the border. He said that the presence of thousands of non-custom-paid vehicles inside Pakistani provinces is also linked to this terror-crime network, and such vehicles are often used in suicide attacks.

Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif said the Taliban regime is currently supporting non-state actors, which pose a threat to the entire region. "Pakistan expects the Afghan Taliban to behave like a responsible state", he added.

He reminded that during the Doha talks, the Afghan Taliban had promised the international community that their soil would not be used for terrorism, but they have not kept this promise.

He added that the Taliban regime does not represent the Afghan people, as it excludes many ethnic groups and 50% of the population—women.

“Our issue is not with Afghans,” he said. “Our issue is with the Taliban regime.”

He said trade between the two countries is affected because Pakistan’s priority is the protection of its people. “Bloodshed and trade cannot go together,” he said. “For us, the only good terrorist is the one who is eliminated.”

The DG ISPR said Pakistan is continuing with the dignified return of Afghan refugees.

In 2024, 366,704 Afghans were sent back, while in 2025, 971,604 have returned so far. In November alone, 239,574 people went back to Afghanistan.