Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said that fencing along the country’s border cannot be fully effective without strong observation posts and adequate fire cover.

Addressing senior journalists on Saturday, he emphasised that Pakistan has no problem with the Afghan people but has serious issues with the Afghan Taliban regime.

The DG ISPR highlighted key aspects of the security situation, border management, the behaviour of the Afghan Taliban, and India’s provocations.

He stated that Pakistan has carried out indiscriminate counter-terrorism operations, significantly dismantling enemy networks.

According to the DG ISPR, so far, from November 4, the military conducted 4,910 intelligence-based operations (IBOs), eliminating 206 terrorists.

Overall this year, 67,023 operations were conducted across the country, including 12,857 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 53,309 in Balochistan, during which 1,873 terrorists were neutralised, 136 of whom were Afghan nationals.

He noted that hostile elements spread misleading propaganda about the Pakistan Army’s border management, adding that the Pak-Afghan border is one of the world’s most challenging.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the border stretches 1,229 kilometres with 20 crossing points, and posts are often 20-25 kilometres apart, he added.

The DG ISPR said that border fencing requires significant resources, including firepower, drone surveillance and fortified posts, to be truly effective.

“Many villages straddle both sides of the border, complicating the regulation of movement,” he added.

He stressed that effective border management is a bilateral effort, but Afghanistan lacks the administrative framework to manage its side of the border.

Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the Taliban regime was facilitating terrorists and highlighted the strong nexus of “political terror crime” facilitated by Fitna Al Khawarij across the border, which enables smuggling, illegal trade, and terrorism.

He criticised the authorities for failing to regulate millions of non-custom-paid vehicles moving freely, which are often used in suicide attacks.

He also pointed out that diesel smuggling from Iran, previously 20.5 million litres daily, has been reduced to 2.7 million litres after crackdowns.

Funds from such smuggling were reportedly used to support Indian-backed groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).

He added that all 27 districts of Balochistan are now under police control, covering about 86% of the province, and security forces are working with local communities to restore peace.

Speaking about the Doha Agreement reached with the Afghan Taliban, the DG ISPR stressed that Pakistan’s position is clear: Afghan soil must not be used against any country.

He said the Taliban failed to uphold their promise that Afghan soil would not be used for terrorism, noting that Al Qaeda, Daesh, and other terrorist groups remained active in Afghanistan and continued to receive weapons and funding to carry out attacks against Pakistan.

Pakistan has provided solid evidence to the Taliban in this regard, but these were ignored, he added.

The DG ISPR said that the Afghan Taliban should reach an agreement under a verifiable mechanism.

If the verifiable mechanism is to be established by a third party, we have no objection, he said, adding that the mediator countries are also fully aware of Pakistan’s position.

He said that if the Taliban’s claim that the terrorists of Fitna Al Khawarij were Pakistani nationals, and they were guests in Afghanistan, then the Kabul authorities should hand them over to us.

“We will deal with them according to our law. What type of “guests” are these who come to Pakistan armed?” he added.

He said that according to a report, the US left behind weapons worth $7.2 billion in Afghanistan, which have fallen into the wrong hands.

The Afghan regime has become a threat to the entire region and the world, he said, adding that a proper government should have been established in Afghanistan after 2021, but even today, non-state actors are being nurtured there, who have become a threat to the entire region.

Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry also criticised India, saying its leadership is suffering from “self-delusion”.

He also dismissed Indian army statements about “Operation Sindoor” as inaccurate, noting real damage was inflicted on India’s assets during the border aggression.

On Pakistan’s counter-terrorism strategy, the DG ISPR said all political parties and the government agreed on eliminating terrorism, and the solution lies in the National Action Plan.

A comprehensive system has been created in Balochistan in this regard, but its absence is felt in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said, “There is no such thing as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ terrorist for us. A good terrorist is one who has been neutralised, he remarked.

The DG ISPR said that the process of honourable return of Afghan refugees is ongoing.

In the year 2024, 366,704 Afghans were repatriated, while in 2025, so far 971,604 Afghans have been sent back.

He further said that during November alone, 239,574 people returned to Afghanistan.