In an escalation of Pakistan’s counterterrorism campaign, Pakistani fighter jets reportedly carried out intelligence-based airstrikes in two different regions of Afghanistan overnight. According to early reports, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) targeted multiple hideouts belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) across the Afghan border. Afghan sources suggest that TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud and two of his top aides, Qari Saifullah Mehsud and Khalid Mehsud, were killed in the operation.
- Pakistan’s Cross-Border Response
- Renewed Resolve Against Terrorism
- ‘Political-Criminal Nexus’ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Afghan Refugees and External Involvement
- Judicial Failures and Weak Governance
- No Negotiations with Terrorists
- Regional Diplomacy and Border Security
- Call for Political Responsibility
- Unity Above Politics
- A Message of Finality
- The author Anum Malik, is affiliated with the State News Agency and contributes her research to the think tank, CDS.
- *The views and opinions expressed herein, and any references, are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the Centre for Development and Stability (CDS).
Although official confirmation of Mehsud’s death is still awaited, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, addressed a detailed press conference at the Peshawar Corps Headquarters today. During the briefing, he declared that “politics on terrorism must end”. The DG ISPR emphasized Pakistan’s renewed resolve to eliminate terrorism and expose what he described as a political-criminal nexus that continues to fuel instability in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Pakistan’s Cross-Border Response
According to reports, the airstrikes were conducted in Kabul and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan, using advanced JF-17 or F-16 fighter jets, while some intelligence channels indicate drone involvement.
The operation combined aerial precision with ground intelligence and special kill teams, reflecting a deep-rooted intelligence network and operational sophistication.
DG ISPR avoided direct confirmation of Noor Wali’s killing but made it clear that Pakistan’s patience has limits. He reiterated that the state will take all necessary measures to defend its people, adding that terrorism emanating from across the border is an unacceptable violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Renewed Resolve Against Terrorism
Addressing the media, Lt Gen Chaudhry delivered one of his strongest statements yet, declaring that “the status quo will no longer work.” He said that Pakistan’s armed forces, along with the people of KP, had shown extraordinary bravery, but the time had come to root out terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
He reminded political leaders that after the Army Public School (APS) tragedy of 2014, there had been national consensus through the National Action Plan (NAP). However, successive governments failed to sustain that unity. He explained that the current administration had rebranded the framework as Azm-e-Istehkam, but implementation on its 14 points remains incomplete.
“The revised plan must now be enforced in full,” he stressed. “Even today, some voices oppose counterterrorism operations. But if every problem could be solved through dialogue, then why were the battles of Badr and Uhud fought?”
‘Political-Criminal Nexus’ in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Lt Gen Chaudhry made startling remarks, alleging that a calculated design had deliberately given space to terrorists and their facilitators in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He stated that governance, development, and law enforcement had been weakened under political patronage, enabling militants to regroup.
“The people of KP are paying the price with their blood,” he said. He cited that in 2024 alone, over 14,500 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were conducted in KP, and 10,115 had already taken place by 2025, averaging 40 operations per day.
According to ISPR data:
- 769 terrorists were killed in 2024, and 917 eliminated so far in 2025, the highest figure in a decade.
- Pakistan lost 577 citizens in 2024, including 140 police, 272 soldiers and FC personnel, and 165 civilians.
- In 2025, 516 Pakistanis have been martyred so far, 311 military personnel, 73 police officers, and 132 civilians.
He warned that the space given to terrorists was no coincidence but part of a deliberate governance failure.
Afghan Refugees and External Involvement
The DG ISPR also addressed the sensitive issue of Afghan refugees, criticizing political groups for opposing their repatriation. “It was decided in 2014 and reaffirmed in 2021 that Afghan refugees must return,” he said. “Pakistan hosted our Afghan brothers with dignity for decades, but when the state now asks them to return, it becomes politicized.”
He claimed that India is using Afghan soil to launch terror attacks inside Pakistan, with credible evidence linking Indian proxies to recent incidents. Lt Gen Chaudhry said that Pakistan had shared concrete proof with the Afghan authorities and warned that allowing non-state actors to operate from Afghan territory is dangerous for both countries.
He also revealed alarming data: in the past two years, 161 Afghan nationals were killed in terror incidents, 135 were neutralized while infiltrating across the border, and 30 suicide bombers held Afghan citizenship.
Judicial Failures and Weak Governance
Highlighting weaknesses in Pakistan’s judicial system, Lt Gen Chaudhry noted that no terrorist had been convicted as of August 2025, despite thousands of pending cases.
He revealed:
- 34 terrorism cases remain unresolved.
- The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has over 4,500 pending cases, including 1,706 older than three years.
- 33,389 illegal weapons and 10,087 narcotics cases were registered in KP this year alone, but conviction rates remain minimal.
“If we truly wish to eradicate terrorism, we must strengthen the CTD and the judicial system,” he said firmly.
No Negotiations with Terrorists
Responding to suggestions of talks with militants, the DG ISPR categorically ruled out any such move. “Who are we to talk to, those who behead children and play football with their heads?” he asked.
He added, “Pakistan’s national security cannot be mortgaged to another country. The Pakistan Army will make this land intolerable for terrorists and their facilitators – regardless of who they are or what position they hold.”
He issued a stern warning to local collaborators: they must either surrender, assist security forces, or face decisive state action.
Regional Diplomacy and Border Security
Lt Gen Chaudhry explained that Pakistan had engaged Afghanistan through multiple diplomatic channels, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, before and after the Doha Agreement.
“Yet, the space given to non-state actors in Afghanistan is not only against Pakistan’s interests but also dangerous for Afghanistan itself,” he said. He urged Kabul to seal the border and prevent its soil from being used against Pakistan.
The timing of the strike coincides with Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister visiting India, a development the DG ISPR indirectly linked to India’s destabilizing role in the region.
Call for Political Responsibility
Lt Gen Chaudhry contrasted the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Sindh and Punjab, where he said governance structures are more stable. “In KP, terrorism is being politicized under the guise of provincialism. Is that not itself a criminal act?” he questioned.
He emphasized that the Pakistan Army remains an institution of the state, not tied to any political figure. Addressing a question about former DG ISI Faiz Hameed, he assured that the legal process is underway and that military accountability is transparent and institutional.
Unity Above Politics
Concluding his address, Lt Gen Chaudhry stressed the need for national unity over political divides. “All political parties and leaders are respectable for us, but no one can put their personal interests above the state,” he declared.
“If anyone believes their politics is greater than Pakistan, or their personality greater than the state itself, that is unacceptable,” he warned.
Paying tribute to the martyrs of the armed forces, police, and civilians, he said:
“The blood of our martyrs will never go in vain. Their courage has written a golden chapter in our history.”
He saluted the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for their resilience, saying they stand “like a wall of steel against terrorism.”
A Message of Finality
The overnight airstrikes in Afghanistan and the DG ISPR’s resolute warning mark a defining moment in Pakistan’s evolving security doctrine. Islamabad has clearly signaled that the era of patience and passive diplomacy is over.
The new approach replaces dialogue with decisive, intelligence-driven action aimed at dismantling terrorism at its roots. This strategic shift underscores Pakistan’s unwavering determination to safeguard its citizens, its borders, and its sovereignty, at any cost.
The military’s message to terrorists and their backers is no longer ambiguous but absolute. In this renewed doctrine, there is no space for appeasement or negotiation with those who shed innocent blood.
“Terrorism will no longer be tolerated – not within, and certainly not beyond, Pakistan’s borders,” declared the DG ISPR. Pakistan will strike wherever threats emerge, and those who test its resolve will face the full, uncompromising weight of its response.
