Rejects Kabul\u2019s airstrike claims
\nOur issue is not with Afghan people but with terrorism. Blood and trade cannot continue together: DG ISPR
\n Islamabad
\nInter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has firmly rejected Kabul\u2019s allegations of Pakistani air strikes on Afghan territory, asserting that Pakistan does not conduct covert cross-border operations and always announces its actions publicly.
\nSpeaking during media briefing on Tuesday, Lt Gen Chaudhry said accusations issued by the Afghan Taliban regime were baseless.
\nKabul had claimed that Pakistan \u201cbombed\u201d Khost province and carried out strikes in Kunar and Paktika \u2014 a charge he dismissed outright.
\nResponding to a question, he stressed that Pakistan operates transparently. \u201cWhenever we carry out an operation, we announce it openly. In October, when we struck inside Afghanistan, we informed everyone,\u201d he said, adding that Pakistan never targets civilians. \u201cOur issue is not with the Afghan people but with terrorism. Blood and trade cannot continue together\u2014this cannot happen that we face attacks and still carry on trade.\u201d
\nHe said committees overseeing counterterrorism efforts were active and included military representatives, adding that the Balochistan government was fully implementing the National Action Plan while working against networks seeking to destabilise the economy. On border security, he said the Army and Frontier Corps were managing the frontier and referred to discussions held in Doha and Istanbul where Afghan interlocutors had at times threatened to allow \u201c6,000 TTP terrorists to enter Pakistan.\u201d
\nLt Gen Chaudhry accused Afghan authorities and militants of pushing hostile narratives, including talk of a \u2018Greater Pashtunistan.\u2019 He warned that senior Afghan officials themselves had issued statements signalling intentions to attack Pakistan.
\nHe also pointed to the heightened danger posed by US-made weapons left behind in Afghanistan. \u201cAmerican weapons were recovered even in the Mianwali terror attack. These missiles and arms have become a threat to the whole world,\u201d he said, adding that militants used US weapons and bulletproof vehicles purchased with narcotics money. Such weapons, he said, had appeared in 29 terror incidents inside Pakistan.
\nThe DG ISPR outlined extensive counterterrorism operations across the country, stating that since January, 67,000 operations had been conducted \u2014 1,387 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and 3,485 in Balochistan. Most operations, he said, were taking place in Balochistan, but Punjab and K-P also remained active fronts. These operations resulted in 210 militants killed, while Pakistan suffered heavy losses of its own.
\n\u201cThis year, 607 security personnel have been martyred. In November alone, 4,910 operations were carried out, during which 57 soldiers of the Army and FC embraced martyrdom \u2014 22 from the Army,\u201d he said, adding that civilian casualties included 14 people, while 11 martyrs belonged to the Frontier Corps.
\nHe said Pakistan had tightened its borders, restricting smuggling even for those holding permits. The Army and Balochistan government, he added, had significantly reduced diesel smuggling from Iran, cutting it by Rs20.2 billion. \u201cStopping smuggling at the border is primarily the responsibility of the provincial government, but we are supporting them fully.\u201d
\nReiterating Pakistan\u2019s resolve, he said the fight against terrorism is one the country must \u2014 and will \u2014 win. \u201cThe war against terrorism has to be won by the Army and the people of Pakistan. Whatever the nature of this war, Pakistan will prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rejects Kabul\u2019s airstrike claims Our issue is not with Afghan people but with terrorism. Blood and trade cannot continue together: DG ISPR Islamabad Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has firmly rejected Kabul\u2019s allegations of Pakistani air strikes on Afghan territory, asserting that Pakistan does not conduct covert cross-border operations and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-516656","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n