By Sardar Khan Niazi
DG ISPR, Lt. General Ahmad Shareef, while addressing journalists, set the tone of the national conversation by firmly presenting Pakistan’s case and the realities faced on the security front. His briefing stood out for its clarity and confidence. He spoke as someone who understood the ground situation in full, and who wanted the country and the world to see the scale of Pakistan’s effort against terrorism and regional instability.
He began by drawing attention to a challenge often ignored in public debate. The Pakistan Afghanistan border stretches over a thousand kilometers, cut across by mountains, snow covered passes and difficult terrain. Twenty crossing points exist along this long frontier, yet many areas remain nearly impossible to monitor around the clock. The Frontier Corps has posts spread fifteen to twenty kilometers apart. To place a post every few kilometers or install continuous drone and camera surveillance would require a level of resources no country can easily spare. He made it clear that border management is not the army’s duty alone. Police, customs and civil administration must also accept their share of responsibility.
From there, he moved to the operational picture. Just since 4 November, security forces have conducted an astonishing 4,910 intelligence based operations. This amounts to over two hundred operations a day. These actions came at a cost: 57 personnel were martyred and more than 200 were injured. Yet the forces neutralized 206 terrorists, including Afghan nationals. And looking at the year as a whole, Pakistan has carried out more than 67,000 intelligence based operations, the majority in Balochistan and the rest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These numbers, he argued, show the depth of Pakistan’s commitment.
He also reminded the media that despite the 2021 peace agreement in Afghanistan, militant networks remained active against Pakistan. To secure the region, Pakistan made consistent diplomatic efforts. Ministers travelled to Kabul, intelligence leadership held meetings, and Pakistan lodged hundreds of formal protests. But despite these efforts, groups linked with Al Qaeda, Daesh and other extremist outfits continue to operate from Afghan soil.
During the briefing he displayed footage of American and NATO weapons now appearing in the hands of terrorists inside Pakistan. He noted that militants who previously lacked basic tools have now acquired night fighting capability. This shift is not accidental and raises serious questions about the flow of weapons and the intentions of those enabling it. He said the world can now clearly see who is contributing to instability in the region.
The DG ISPR also drew attention to the information domain. He presented evidence of foreign based social media accounts pushing propaganda against Pakistan. Accounts associated with political figures and separatist activists are being operated from the United States, Europe and other countries. This campaign, he warned, is designed to mislead the public and damage national institutions.
Turning to internal challenges, he pointed out that terrorists behind a recent attack on FC personnel infiltrated through Tirah, the same route used in the APS attack. He spoke openly about the troubling links between some local politicians, criminal groups and militants in that region. Whenever operations are launched, these networks mobilize people against the state. He argued that this issue must now be addressed directly.
The DG ISPR also shared that in November alone, more than two hundred thousand illegal Afghan nationals were repatriated. In Balochistan, security operations continued alongside efforts to build trust with local communities and tackle smuggling networks.
When asked about General Faiz Hameed’s case, he stated simply that it is under judicial consideration and the institution will speak once the court issues its decision.
By the end of the briefing, it was clear why his interaction with journalists stood out. He did not rely on rhetoric. He relied on facts, timelines and on ground realities. His message was firm: Pakistan is confronting multiple fronts at once, and its security institutions are meeting these challenges with discipline and determination.