Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI, : Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, reiterating Pakistan Armed Forces’ firm commitment to curb menace of terrorism, on Friday vowed that war against terror networks, Fitna-al Khawarij and their facilitators, would continue till complete elimination of the last Khawarij fron the country’s soil.Addressing a news conference, the DG ISPR said the record high number of terrorists were killed during the year024.Sharing the details, he said that a total of 59,775 operations were conducted by the security forces during the current year. “During these successful operations, 925 terrorists, including khawarij, were sent to hell while numerous were arrested,” he said.He said that the number of terrorists killed was the largest in the last five years. “More than 169 operations are being conducted by the Pakistan Army, law enforcement, intelligence agencies and the police on a daily basis,” he added.The DG ISPR said that the forces also successfully eliminated 73 “high-value targets, most-wanted terrorists during the operations”. These, he said, included Fitna al Khawarij leader from Malakand Division Mian Syed alias Qureshi, Mohsin Qadir of Fitna al Khawarij’s Malakand Division, Attaullah alias Mehran who was involved in an attack on a diplomatic convoy in Swat, Fadaur Rehman alias Lal from Zhob Division, Ali Rehman and Abu Yahya.“Some 27 Afghan terrorists were also sent to hell”, he added.Paying rich tribute to brave sons of the soil for sacrificing their lives for the country’s peace, Gen Ahmed Sharif said that 383 brave officers and soldiers embraced martyrdom during the counter-terrorism operations. “We have no doubt that we will continue this war against terrorism until the death of the last khawarij,” he said.DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said, “ Pakistan will leave no stone unturned to eliminate the terrorist networks and keep our citizens safe”. “Everyone knows that Pakistan has wholeheartedly tried for peacekeeping in Afghanistan. Pakistan has played the most important role in the stability of Afghanistan,” he added.He said that Pakistan had pointed out multiple times to the Afghan interim government that Fitna al Khawarij and various other terrorists have continued terrorist activities in Pakistan while using the Afghan soil. “The Army Chief has a clear and straight-forward stance on this: that Pakistan has reservations on banned organisations sanctuaries, support, and unrestrained activities on Afghan territory,” he said.He went on to say that all evidence related to terrorism could be traced back to the safe havens, enjoyed by terrorists in Afghanistan.The DG ISPR said that the repatriation of illegal Afghan citizens from Pakistan was underway. Since September 2023 till now, 8,15,000 illegal Afghan citizens have been sent back to Afghanistan, he added.He said, “The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) has said that one Pakistani’s life and protection is above Afghanistan,” adding that if the terrorists’ “blood-stained hands receive strength and aid from across the border, then the status quo is no more acceptable”.Gen Ahmed Sharif said that work under the Western Border Management Regime was near to completion and the Armed Forces had already cleared “72 per cent of the area in the tribal districts from minefields”. “During this, mines and unexploded ordinances have been recovered,” he added.He said “Not only geographical borders, but technical and legal actions are being taken step-wise to protect your digital borders as well.”The DG ISPR said that following the directions of the government, the Army was also currently playing its role in a crackdown against smuggling, drugs, electricity theft and hoarders. “Different nationwide operations were carried out under a holistic strategy, following which there has been a significant decrease in illegal activities,” he added.He said after the imposition of the One Document Regime, illegal border crossings have significantly declined. There has also been a marked difference in the use of passports, and smuggling has also decreased, he added.Regarding Line of Control (LoC) violation by India, he said that India carried out different ceasefire violations on a micro level several times during the current year. “These included 25 ceasefire violations, 564 speculative fires, 61 airspace violations, and 181 tactical airspace violations,” he added.He said that Armed Forces were fully aware of the dangers posed by India on the eastern front. “India, as usual, is planning to establish dominance in the region while trying to divert attention from its internal conflicts,” he remarked.The DG ISPR said: “This year, the Indian government also carried out some false flag operations, intending to divert attention from its internal politics and tensions. All information related to these false flag operations was spread through propaganda social media accounts linked to India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), he added.
