Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has revealed that Afghan Taliban forces have been engaging Pakistani border posts with unprovoked firing to facilitate the infiltration of terrorists into Pakistan.
Speaking to senior journalists on Friday, the military spokesperson said that border management along the Pak-Afghan frontier is uniquely challenging due to divided tribal populations and difficult terrain. He noted that 29 tribes live across both sides of the border, making population movement hard to regulate.
Lt Gen Chaudhry stressed that physical barriers alone are insufficient to prevent infiltration. He said border fences can be breached within minutes unless backed by constant surveillance, fire support, and strong infrastructure. “Effective border control requires continuous drone monitoring, fortified posts every few kilometres, and massive investment,” he said.
The ISPR chief also highlighted administrative gaps in remote regions like Tirah, saying the absence of governance, courts and state institutions contributes to smuggling, terrorism and illegal activity. He added that a “political-terror-crime nexus” operates local facilitation networks involved in illegal trade, weapons movement and the use of non-custom-paid vehicles for terror activities.
On trade with Afghanistan, Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan prioritises national security over economic activity. “Our issue is with the Afghan Taliban regime, not with Afghans. Blood and business cannot go together,” he stated.
He reported that Pakistan conducted 67,023 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) this year, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. A total of 1,873 terrorists, including 136 Afghan nationals, were killed. Since November 4 alone, 4,910 IBOs have been carried out, averaging 233 per day.
Regarding the illegal foreign repatriation plan, he said Pakistan repatriated 971,604 Afghan nationals in 2025, including 239,574 in November. Another 366,007 individuals were repatriated in 2024.
On Balochistan, the ISPR DG said that Category B areas—home to around 86% of the province’s population—are now covered by police jurisdiction. He said 949 development projects have been identified, with 52 completed so far, including major water and agriculture initiatives.
Responding to recent remarks by the Indian army chief, Lt Gen Chaudhry dismissed them as “exaggerated and misleading,” adding that the claims resembled “horror film” fantasies. He said such rhetoric is aimed at misleading the Indian public about supposed military success.
