RAWALPINDI(National Times)- Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Friday that deliberate attempts were being made to create a perception that the situation in Balochistan was deteriorating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He made this remark while addressing a press conference focused on the overall security situation in the country, particularly Balochistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the outset of the briefing, the military\u2019s spokesperson said 40,348 intelligence-based operations had been conducted this year so far, adding that the figure covered operations carried out by all security forces, including police, civil armed forces, intelligence agencies and the armed forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of these operations, most were carried out in Balochistan, with the number exceeding 31,000, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DG ISPR added that overall 3,145 terrorism incidents had taken place in the country in 2026, among which 1,971 were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,148 from Balochistan and 26 from other parts of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During this time, he continued, 2,084 individuals who were confirmed terrorists were killed. \u201cThis comes to an average of 10 terrorists being killed every day, which is the highest ratio ever,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, security forces were undertaking nearly 200 intelligence-based operations (IBO) per day. \u201cSo these IBOs are going on every hour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DG ISPR further stated that \u201c819 Pakistanis have been martyred\u201d in incidents of terrorism in the ongoing year, which came to four per day. This comprised 303 army personnel, 194 law enforcers from police and civil armed forces and 322 civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that 28 incidents of suicide bombing had taken place this year, \u201cthe majority of which were carried out by Afghan nationals [\u2026] and people associated with their security forces\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comparing the number of terrorists killed last year with those killed in 2026, he said 2,597 were killed in 2025 and 2,084 this year so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pointing out that five months were left before 2026 would end, he said, \u201cThe way the kinetic prong of the counter-terrorism is maturing, responding and delivering, that is before you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further elaborated that the number of martyrs in comparison to slain terrorists was higher, but the tide started turning in 2024. And in 2025, \u201cfor each martyr we were taking out minimum two [terrorists], and this year, we are taking out minimum 2.5 [terrorists].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here, he added, a valid question to ask would be why terrorism incidents are rising. \u201cBecause once returns from other elements of their strategy begin diminishing, they focus more here. And you saw when their direct strategy during Marka-i-Haq failed, they started investing a lot more here,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DG ISPR added this also had to do with the \u201cagenda of the terrorist-supporting Taliban regime\u201d and the clarity that the state of Pakistan had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese terrorists and their sponsors have come to understand that there is no space for appeasement or any talks with them [\u2026] They know that the state is telling them very clearly that either you submit to the state\u2019s will in accordance with law and the Constitution, otherwise we are here and fighting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, he added, this also had to do with the proactive nature of the operations. \u201cThese [terrorism] incidents also rise because when we get proactive [\u2026] there will be more engagements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of the \u201cperception that the situation in Balochistan has worsened\u201d, he said this matter would be discerned by answering three questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first question was what the issue was, the second was what was happening and the third was what was being done, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coming to the first question, he said the issue was not just specific to Balochistan but covered the overall security environment in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The issue, he said, was \u201cHard state, question mark.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre we a hard state? Unfortunately not,\u201d the military\u2019s spokesperson added. Explaining the reason behind his answer, he said a hard state was one where the constitution and law were the same for everyone. \u201cThat is what a hard state is. It does not mean a military-run state, it does not mean an armed forces-dominated state,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DG ISPR said a state where all matters were decided in accordance with law and the constitution, where everyone was equal, was a hard state. And in that hard state, there would be security and stability; there would be no grievances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then there was also the matter of obligations versus rights, he said, adding that it pertained to being aware of one\u2019s responsibilities before speaking about one\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are all taking up grievances \u2014 at some places slogans are also being raised in connection with those grievances and even arms are being taken up in some instances \u2014 and all those grievances [pertain to demand for rights],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saying that the demands for rights and grievances may be genuine, he added that obligations needed to be fulfilled first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet me try to explain the context constitutionally,\u201d he said, quoting Article 5 of the Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The provision preceded Article 8, which elaborated on fundamental rights, he said, adding that Article stated: \u201cLoyalty to the state and obedience to the Constitution and law. It says loyalty to the state is the basic duty of every citizen. Full stop. Absolutely clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe provision\u2019s second part states that obedience to the Constitution and law is the inviolable obligation of every citizen wherever he may be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So the Constitution is \u201cclear that we have some fundamental duties that we need to be loyal to the state\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf we are loyal to the state and we are obedient to the Constitution and the law, then you can talk about your rights,\u201d he said. Citing a statement by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at the National Workshop in Balochistan recently, he said when the rights movement is talked about, why not an \u201cobligations movement\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere has to be a movement for the obligation of every citizen,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further speaking of the obligations, he said, \u201cIs this not an obligation for every citizen that our first and final identity should be Pakistani? \u2026 We are citizens of this state, so our first identity and our last identity and the foremost identity is being a Pakistani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is our obligation to acknowledge the fundamental position, the central position of the state of Pakistan because if there is the state, there is politics, there is life [\u2026] These are our fundamental obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre we working towards that? Let\u2019s think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Focusing on Balochistan, he said the fundamental issue in the province was elitism and sardarism<\/em>, and the desire to maintain the status quo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is that part of society that believes it has no obligations and only thinks of their rights. The elites, the sardars<\/em> are a part of it. And I am not talking about all of them but those who believe that this status quo must be maintained,\u201d the DG ISPR said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that this status quo predated 1947, under which a poor man\u2019s child could not get education and progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The people who did not want the status quo to change were the \u201cprime movers of terrorism because they are afraid that the times are changing\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, there is the issue of the desire for appeasement, the DG ISPR said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey do terrorism, they talk about terrorism and say that Balochistan is getting out of hand. Then they expect that we talk to them, appease them [\u2026] No, we will not. We will talk with the actual stakeholders, which are the people of Baluchistan,\u201d he added. \u201cYou are not the stakeholder. You are only a stakeholder in your own personal and your family\u2019s fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The military\u2019s spokesperson went on to say that the problem of such elements was that they were not being appeased. \u201cThey have this habit of thinking that Levies force is their private force, their sardari<\/em> force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo once you start turning Balochistan\u2019s Levies into a police force, they have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He further said that these elements were involved in smuggling in the name of business. \u201cAnd if you stop this, there is terrorism. They promote terrorism and say Balochistan is getting out of hand. They demand that permits are issued, they get a share from the budget of more than Rs1,000 [\u2026] But no more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving on, the DG ISPR said a third issue was \u201cexternal power play\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u201celitists and sardarists have a common agenda\u201d, he said, adding the \u201cexternal powers\u201d realise that Balochistan was blessed with not just \u201ca very vibrant and very progressive human resource\u201d but also with natural resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt has a blue economy, agriculture. They know the potential of Balochistan. They realise that when Balochistan rises, entire Pakistan rises and the region rises. And they have a problem, so they get physically involved through these terrorists [\u2026] and they find ready partners in these elitists and sardarists,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, there was the issue of \u201ccontiguous support bases\u201d, especially from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the business of the Afghan Taliban regime was terrorism and through terrorism, they sustained their economy, state and even diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven their diplomacy is centred on terrorism. What is common between India and Afghanistan, except their DNA? The only thing common is terrorism,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat is common between Fitna-al-Hindustan<\/em> and Fitna-al-Khawarij<\/em>? Nothing. One is secular and nationalist, and the other is hardcore religious extremist. But because they are carrying out coordinated operations now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The government labelled the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan as Fitna-al-Khawarij<\/em> and designated<\/u><\/a> Balochistan-based groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan<\/em> to highlight<\/u><\/a> India\u2019s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He further stated that propaganda was another issue, which had three strands: a sense of deprivation, lack of representation and missing persons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharing data of facilities in various areas of Balochistan, he said the per capita budget of Balochistan was more than Rs75,000, which was more than any other province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen on what basis is this narrative of a sense of deprivation in Balochistan spun? It is spun on actions to prevent development. That is why they kill labourers and attack roads and hospitals and bridges. Are these military targets?\u201d the DG ISPR questioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coming to the issue of lack of representation, he said same people and their families were in the assemblies since 1973. \u201cMost of them are the same khanzaday<\/em> and nawabzaday<\/em>. It\u2019s the same religious parties and same names, and either they win or their family members win. If they win, it is democracy, but if they don\u2019t win, [the narrative is] there is dictatorship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On missing persons, he said the government had formed a commission to inquire into the matter. The DG ISPR said the commission had received just 10,901 applications since its formation in the early 2010s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of those, 9,372 cases had been disposed of, he said, adding that in 4,896 of the disposed-of cases, missing people had returned home, around 1,030 were located in prisons, 308 were found dead and 2,400 cases were declared as misreported cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, he said, 2,933 of the total cases were reported from Balochistan, among which 2, 767 had been disposed of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He went on to say persons reported missing in the remaining cases were often found among killed terrorists after operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DG ISPR added that terrorists were now also filming attacks to build a narrative that the situation in Balochistan was deteriorating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He further pointed out that Balochistan\u2019s area was 347,190 sq km, which was more than the area of many countries, as he elaborated on the need for more security personnel. He said this while speaking about raising a new command of the Frontier Corps, FC West, and its attached units in the province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharing details of the current situation in Balochistan, he said terrorists had killed 178 civilians in the province this year, kidnapped 55 civilians, damaged roads and bridges at 24 places, set property on fire at 60 places and there were 47 incidents of looting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police and Levies were targeted in 105 incidents, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They carry out terrorist activities, film it and release videos, and \u201celitists and sardarists<\/em> start crying over the deteriorating situation\u201d, he added. They target infrastructure and run this propaganda about a lack of development, the military\u2019s spokesperson said, mentioning Indian involvement in such activities as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, he also spoke about challenges faced by police as first responders, again mentioning the vast area of Balochistan, in addition to capacity constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DG ISPR further said that previous governments that let Levies be a \u201csardari force\u201d were answerable in this regard. He questioned why the funds were not translated into equipment for police, adding, \u201cBecause you did not want to respond to your BLA pets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He then lauded police for fighting against terrorism, asking why were they not being acknowledged. \u201cBecause terrorists are making videos [\u2026] that are used to create a narrative,\u201d he answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, he said, terrorists were \u201choney-trapping\u201d girls. They would kidnap and abuse them and then blackmail them to commit acts of terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also said that 300 Indian websites were being operated for terrorism in Balochistan, more than 1,000 social media accounts were being used for the purpose and \u201chostile diaspora\u201d was also involved in propaganda related to terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explaining the social media ecosystem in use of the terrorists, the DG ISPR said \u201cFirst, an event or incident is seeded right or wrong and then it is framed by intiators, who then hand it over to amplifiers and then mass amplification is done by mainstream indian media, channels and their print media as well, from where it is picked up by international media and then you take it and run it as facts\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Citing the example of the July 16 attack on a convoy in Mastung, the military spokesperson said that accounts associated with BYC, BLA and political parties, operating from abroad, were involved in amplifying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He further noted, \u201cThere is already an ecosystem here that whenever there is negative news about Pakistan, certain actors are always there to mark their attendance\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of kinetic operations against terrorists in Balochistan, he said currently security forces were conducting Operation Shaban, which had been morphed into Operation Al-Azm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also said that most of the operations were carried out jointly by the army, FC and police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, Operation Ghazab lil-Haq was also under way against the Afghan Taliban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The military\u2019s spokesperson said that 2.6m Afghan had been repatriated to Afghanistan from Pakistan, of whom 600,000 were repatriated this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also said that work was underway to strengthen the capacity of security forces in the province, including the establishment of FC West in Chaghi, which he said will ensure the \u201csecurity of the mineral corridor\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DG ISPR added that the government was working on the police force as well, with newly recruited ASPs being posted to Balochistan and provision of bulletproof vehicles among other measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also stressed the significance of \u201cempowering and appeasing\u201d the common people of Balochistan. \u201cWe are committed to engage and talk directly with people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that Rs70bn had been allocated to socioeconomic projects in Balochistan and Rs24bn for the Balochistan Special Development Initiative. He further stated that development projects aimed at improving road connectivity, IT training, and human resources were also in process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DG ISPR, concluding his address, played a video of the government\u2019s direct engagements within Balochistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is the bright future of Balochistan that we need to further nurture, develop and propagate because Balochistan has a remarkable future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the words of the Field Marshal, and he says it with a lot of conviction, that within 5-10 years it is going to be the richest province; it is going to be a game changer. And the bigger the potential, the bigger the threats we face, but we, the people of Pakistan and Balochistan, will overcome (them).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The DG ISPR, responding to questions, commented on Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi\u2019s remarks about the need for new administrative units in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have been saying this earlier also as a primary stakeholder in security that good governance is due for the security and stability of Pakistan,\u201d he stated. Without this, he stressed that none of our issues could be resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said that the National Action Plan, with its 14-point agenda and consensus of all political parties, depended on good governance for its implementation, adding, \u201cGood governance is quintessential for Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow how to get the good governance? The politicians and political parties have to decide. If you ask us, yes, there has to be a serious discussion on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow our population is 240-250m people, and we still have four provinces. We have to see whether it is serving good governance? That debate has to be sensibly done by politicians, by those in power, even those who have been previously in power, and those who are responsible to the people of Pakistan,\u201d the DG ISPR said, mentioning that it had to be done as per the will of the people of Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe will of the people of Pakistan is superior. If good governance requires an administrative reset, then it has to be done. Through constitutional methods, legal methods, and through political representatives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" RAWALPINDI(National Times)- Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Friday that deliberate attempts were being made to create a perception that the situation in Balochistan was deteriorating. He made this remark while addressing a press conference focused on the overall security situation in the country, particularly Balochistan. At […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":130452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/a>On new administrative units<\/h2>\n\n\n\n