Islamabad — Pakistan’s military has issued its strongest warning yet to the Afghan Taliban regime, declaring that cross-border terrorism emanating from Afghan soil “will be eliminated by force if necessary” and that Islamabad “will not seek security charity” from Kabul.
In a detailed press briefing at the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) headquarters, military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan’s national security decisions are independent and guided solely by constitutional and national imperatives. “Pakistan formulates its policies independently and will not come under any external pressure,” he stated.
“The Pakistan Army is fulfilling its duties strictly in line with the Constitution and law,” he said. “The Army has no involvement in politics and wishes to stay out of it and should be kept out of it.”
Cross-Border Threats and Demands to Kabul
The DG ISPR disclosed that since the recent escalation in Pak–Afghan tensions, 206 Afghan Taliban fighters and more than 112 militants of Fitna al-Khawarij, Pakistan’s term for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have been killed in counterterrorism operations.
He said intelligence intercepts and field operations confirm that TTP’s leader has pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader, and that most attacks inside Pakistan are being launched from Afghan territory.
“Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan interim government to ensure its soil is not used by terrorists,” he said, adding that cross-border infiltration attempts continue despite repeated diplomatic engagement.
General Chaudhry said Pakistan will no longer tolerate cross-border aggression. “We will not beg Afghanistan for security. Peace will be established through strength,” he declared. “Afghan authorities must either act against these terrorists or hand them over to Pakistan.”
He ruled out any talks with the TTP: “There will be no negotiations with terrorists.”
Operational Updates and National Security Figures
The ISPR chief said 62,113 operations were conducted in 2025, eliminating 1,667 militants, including 128 Afghan nationals.
He said 206 security personnel were martyred during operations and 769 militants were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone.
General Chaudhry said the operations were entirely intelligence-based to minimize collateral damage. “We respond immediately to any terrorist attack. Those suffering losses are not civilians, they are facilitators of terrorists,” he added.
Doha Agreement and Kabul’s Accountability
In a direct critique of the Afghan Taliban’s commitment under the 2020 Doha Agreement, the military spokesman said “its implementation is not taking place.” He said the Taliban regime’s refusal to dismantle the TTP network based in Afghan provinces was a “serious breach” of the accord.
“Pakistan has given multiple opportunities for peace,” he said, “but our patience has limits.”
India’s Intentions and “False Flag” Alert
Turning to India, General Chaudhry warned that New Delhi is preparing another “false flag” operation aimed at maligning Pakistan. “India’s designs are no secret,” he said. “It is staging yet another false operation, likely in maritime or airspace domains, to justify propaganda against Pakistan.”
He warned that “any such provocation will be met with a stronger, sharper, and decisive response than ever before.”
He added, “India’s credibility is such that it takes five months to claim the downing of a single aircraft,” adding that Pakistan’s armed forces were on “high alert” and would deliver a “far stronger, more decisive, and severe” response than in previous incidents if provoked.
The DG ISPR linked the warning to newly-surfaced evidence revealed last Saturday, when the government released a video confession by Ijaz Mallah, a Pakistani fisherman detained by Indian forces in 2024. In the recorded testimony, Mallah states that Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) operatives coerced him into espionage activities inside Pakistan.
ISPR officials described Mallah’s account as part of a broader Indian maritime sabotage network, asserting that this network was traced and disrupted earlier this year
Solidarity with Palestine and International Role
Reaffirming Pakistan’s foreign policy stance, General Chaudhry reiterated Pakistan’s support for the people of Palestine, calling the ongoing siege of Gaza “a violation of human dignity.”
He said, “Pakistan stands with the oppressed Palestinian people and urges the international community to act immediately for a ceasefire.”
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a just solution to the Palestine issue in line with United Nation resolutions and said the decision to send troops to Gaza, if ever made, “lies with the government and Parliament.”
His comments came amid reports that Pakistan is weighing a potential contribution of troops to an International Stabilization Force (ISF) for Gaza.
Politics, Policy, and Public Confidence
General Chaudhry underscored that “politicians make the state, institutions serve it.”
He said that the military remains fully prepared to defend the country’s sovereignty and called on the public to rely on official statements rather than rumors or social media disinformation.
“Pakistan’s sovereignty is non-negotiable,” he said. “The Army is prepared to protect the people, the territory, and the national honour, whatever the cost.”
Between Borders and Battlefields
Security analysts say the ISPR’s tone reflects a hardening of Pakistan’s position toward both Kabul and New Delhi amid rising border tensions and persistent attacks by Afghan-based militants.
“The message is clear. Pakistan will engage diplomatically but act militarily when required,” said Pak-Afghan expert Salman Javed, Director General of the South Asia Times (SAT). “It also signals that Islamabad views the Taliban’s inaction as not just negligence but complicity, especially as the TTP’s leadership openly aligns with Taliban authority.”
Within Pakistan’s security circles, the Istanbul process, facilitated by Türkiye and Qatar, is seen as a crucial test of the Taliban’s credibility. A senior official familiar with the discussions said Pakistan expects to see tangible dismantling of TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan, disruption of their logistical networks, and arrests or handovers of key leadership figures. Without verifiable action, he said, trust cannot be restored and the ceasefire risks becoming meaningless.
Javed also highlighted the significance of the ISPR raising warnings of an Indian “false flag” operation in the same briefing, stating, “such warnings are not new, but placing them alongside Afghan criticism underlines a strategic recalibration, Pakistan is reminding both adversaries and mediators that patience is running out.”
This shift also coincides with a series of developments that Pakistan considers provocative or politically motivated, including India’s Trishul military exercises, the climate surrounding the Bihar state elections, and broader regional realignments. The convergence of these pressures has created what analysts describe as a two-front strategic environment: one involving active militant infiltration linked to Afghanistan, and the other rooted in intelligence, propaganda, or covert operations attributed to India.
