Key Points
- DG ISPR calls 2025 a “landmark year” in Pakistan’s fight against terrorism, citing unprecedented counter-terror operations.
- Security forces conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations in 2025, killing 2,597 terrorists across the country.
- 1,235 civilians and law enforcement personnel were martyred during the year in terror-related incidents.
- Military says Afghanistan has become a base for terrorism, with foreign fighters and TTP operating from its soil.
- DG ISPR alleges Indian patronage and Afghan Taliban facilitation are fueling terrorism inside Pakistan.
DG ISPR says briefing focused only on counter-terrorism
Director General ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry began his press conference by saying the sole purpose of the briefing was to give a comprehensive overview of counter-terrorism measures taken in the past year.
He stressed that terrorism remains the biggest threat faced by the state of Pakistan and asked that the discussion remain focused on this issue alone.
He said 2025 was a “landmark and consequential year” in Pakistan’s long war against terrorism.
‘71pc of terror incidents took place in KP due to political-terror nexus’
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said nearly 71 per cent of terrorist incidents in 2025 occurred in KP, and the main reason was a “politically conducive environment” and a “political-criminal-terror nexus” flourishing there.
He cited an annual report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, saying fatalities in KP rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025, a more than 40 per cent increase.
DG ISPR criticize KP CM’s stance on talks with militants
The military spokesperson criticized KP Chief Minister’s stance on talks and dismissed calls for Afghan guarantees.
He said PTI was building a false narrative in assemblies and questioned whether the army was sent to KP “with shovels to extract minerals”.
“If you do not want an operation, then what should be done, sit at the feet of khawarij?” he asked.
Illegal mining and weapons proliferation linked to terrorism in KP
Lt Gen Chaudhry said illegal mining was taking place in KP and linked the spread of illegal weapons directly to terrorism, saying governance failures were feeding militancy.
‘Afghan Taliban attacked Pakistani posts, strong response was given’
Talking about border tensions, the ISPR chief said the Afghan Taliban had attacked Pakistani border posts, after which Pakistan responded forcefully.
He said Pakistan targeted terrorists at the Afghan border in October 2025 and “dozens of Afghan posts were eliminated within hours”.
DG ISPR says Afghan Taliban have found a ‘new hero’ in Modi
The military spokesperson said Afghanistan has become the center of terrorist operations in the region and claimed the Afghan Taliban regime has found a “new hero” in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said the India–Fitna al-Khawarij nexus was fully exposed in 2025 and poses a serious threat to regional peace.
‘We targeted TTP, not TTA,’ military clarifies
Lt Gen Chaudhry said Pakistan’s actions were aimed at the TTP and not the Afghan Taliban, adding that Islamabad had clear evidence about where terrorists operate.
DG ISPR rejects claims Pakistan Army uses drones for strikes
He rejected the narrative that the Pakistan Army uses drones for attacks inside the country.
He said it is Fitna al-Khawarij (TTP) that uses armed quadcopters, with Indian support, and that the army uses drones mainly for surveillance.
‘Terrorists use mosques, homes, women and children as shields’
The ISPR chief said terrorists operate armed quadcopters through special units and use mosques, public places and homes to carry out attacks, often using women and children as human shields.
Details of major attacks: Jaffar Express, Noshki, Quetta, Wana
Lt Gen Chaudhry said 21 civilians were martyred in the Jaffar Express attack, while a civilian bus was targeted in Noshki.
He said the attack on the FC headquarters in Quetta, in which eight civilians were martyred, was carried out by Afghans. He added a similar attack took place in Peshawar in November.
He said Afghan terrorists also tried to replicate the APS-style attack at Cadet College Wana.
‘Afghans were involved in all 10 major attacks of 2025’
Providing details of 10 major attacks, the ISPR DG said civilians and soft targets were deliberately targeted and Afghan militants were involved in all of them.
He said video confessions of arrested terrorists had also been recorded and shown during the briefing.
‘This is a war of the entire nation, not just the army’
“This is a war of every single child,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said, rejecting the idea that counter-terrorism is only the army’s responsibility.
He said a false narrative was being built that this is only the military’s war.
‘No distinction among terrorists, no sympathy for any’
The ISPR DG said Pakistan makes no distinction among terrorists and has no sympathy for any group or individual involved in militancy.
“There is no color or shade of a terrorist for us,” he said.
Afghan refugee camps: cleared in Punjab and Balochistan, remain in KP
He said refugee camps in Punjab and Balochistan had been cleared, but most camps in KP still remain, calling this a security concern.
Border closures already benefiting Pakistan, says military
The military spokesperson said Pakistan was already seeing benefits from closing border crossings with Afghanistan and stressed that Pakistan’s economy is not dependent on Afghanistan.
‘No one is above Pakistan or the Constitution’
Concluding this part of the briefing, the ISPR DG said no individual or political party is above Pakistan, and all parties and provinces are equal if they remain within the constitutional framework.
Military says nation now has ‘complete clarity’ on terrorism
The DG ISPR said the entire nation now has clarity that terrorist groups have no link to Islam or Pakistan.
He said these elements are “Fitna-al-Khawarij” and “Fitna-al-Hindustan” and are working only to destabilize the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
He added that Pakistan’s narrative on terrorism is now also being accepted internationally, especially regarding the use of Afghan soil for militant activities.
NAP revived, Azm-i-Istehkam guided by national consensus
The military spokesperson said the National Action Plan (NAP) was reinvigorated in 2025 and its implementation gained momentum. He said the vision for Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, launched in 2024, was also drawn from the revised NAP.
He acknowledged that while progress has been made, there are still gaps and room for improvement in fully implementing the plan.
75,175 intelligence-based operations carried out in 2025
Sharing official data, the DG ISPR said Pakistani security forces conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations in 2025, averaging 206 operations per day.
Of these, 14,658 were carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 58,778 in Balochistan, and 1,739 in other parts of the country.
Over 5,300 terror incidents reported across Pakistan
He said a total of 5,397 terrorist incidents took place in 2025. Out of these, 3,811 occurred in KP, 1,557 in Balochistan, and 29 in other areas.
During the year, 2,597 terrorists were killed, including 1,800 in KP and 784 in Balochistan.
1,235 martyrs, 27 suicide attacks recorded in one year
The DG ISPR said 1,235 civilians and law enforcement personnel were martyred in the fight against terrorism in 2025.
He added that 27 suicide attacks took place during the year—16 in KP, 10 in Balochistan, and one in Islamabad. Two of these involved female suicide bombers.
Why KP remains the main target of terrorism
Explaining why most attacks occurred in KP, the military spokesperson said the province has been suffering due to a “politically conducive environment” and a “political-terror nexus” that provides space to militant groups.
The terrorist-to-martyr ratio shows shift in momentum
He said terrorism began rising sharply after 2021. That year, 193 terrorists were killed while 592 security personnel were martyred, a ratio of 1:3.
In 2025, however, 2,597 terrorists were killed compared to 1,235 martyrs, improving the ratio to nearly 2:1 in favor of the state.
DG ISPR links terror resurgence to changes in Afghanistan in 2021
The DG ISPR said the turning point was the 2021 change in Afghanistan after the Doha Agreement. He said the Afghan Taliban had made three promises: inclusive government, no use of Afghan soil for terrorism, and rights for women.
He said none of these promises were fulfilled, and instead Afghanistan turned into a hub for multiple terrorist organizations.
‘Afghanistan has become a center point for terrorists’
He said groups of different creeds are now operating freely from Afghan soil. He revealed that around 2,500 foreign terrorists from Syria recently arrived in Afghanistan.
He added that the Afghan Taliban are now organizing and guiding the TTP along structured lines.
India funding and providing patronage to terrorism in Pakistan
The DG ISPR alleged that India is the biggest external patron of terrorism in Pakistan, using Afghan soil and the Afghan Taliban as proxies.
He said Afghanistan provides the base, while funding and support come from India and other sponsors to keep the “war economy” running.
US weapons left in Afghanistan now in terrorist hands
He said modern US military equipment worth $7.2 billion, including night-vision devices, sniper rifles, and M4 and M16 weapons, is now available in black markets and being used by terrorist groups.
Past political decisions also blamed for terror spike
The military spokesperson said the government in power in 2021 decided to hold talks with terrorists and facilitated them internally, giving them space and time to regroup.
He said once the state took a firm stand in 2023, the situation began to change.
‘Terrorists must be eliminated,’ DG ISPR says
Referring to the army chief’s speech after the 2023 Police Lines blast in Peshawar, he said the state’s policy is now clear and firm: terrorists must be eliminated without confusion or ambiguity.
Afghans involved in major attacks in 2025, says military
Towards the end, the DG ISPR said that Afghan nationals were involved in several major terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2025, reinforcing the claim that cross-border terrorism remains a central threat.
Read more: PM Shehbaz Sharif Highlights SMEs as Backbone of Pakistan’s Economy
