Afghan regime now a threat to regional security, says Pakistan military

ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has said that the Afghan Taliban regime has become a threat not only to Pakistan but to the security of the entire region.

Briefing senior journalists on national security matters on Tuesday, a video of which was released on Friday evening, the DG ISPR said Pakistan has carried out 67,023 intelligence-based operations so far this year. He said 1,873 terrorists were neutralized in 2025, including 136 Afghan nationals. Since November 4 alone, security forces have conducted 4,910 operations, neutralizing 206 terrorists.

He said misleading propaganda was being spread about Pakistan’s border management efforts. The Pakistan-Afghanistan border runs through difficult and mountainous terrain, he explained, adding that the fence alone cannot work without observation, firepower and surveillance. He said building forts every few kilometers would require massive resources.

He stated that unlike Punjab and Sindh, several villages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lie directly on the border, making the movement of people difficult to control. Effective border management, he said, is only possible when both countries cooperate. However, he added that Afghan terrorists are being fully facilitated by the Taliban authorities to enter Pakistan.

He said a strong political-terror-crime nexus exists in the border regions, including the use of non-custom-paid vehicles in attacks inside Pakistan. He questioned who is responsible for stopping illegal movement and smuggling once it happens inside Pakistan’s territory.

The DG ISPR said Pakistan has presented clear and irrefutable evidence to Kabul that terrorist leaders from Al-Qaeda, ISIS and other groups are operating from Afghan soil. He said Pakistan wants the Taliban to fulfil their commitments under the Doha Agreement through a verifiable mechanism, even if monitored by a third party.

Calling the Taliban’s claim that Pakistani militants are “guests” in Afghanistan illogical, he said if they are Pakistani citizens they should be handed over to Pakistan. He noted that $7.2 billion worth of US military equipment was left behind in Afghanistan after the withdrawal, according to SIGAR.

He said the Taliban regime does not represent all Afghans, lacks ethnic representation, and excludes women. Pakistan, he stressed, has no issue with the Afghan people — the issue is with the Taliban regime’s support for non-state actors.

The DG ISPR said trade with Afghanistan cannot continue at the cost of Pakistani lives, adding that “bloodshed and trade cannot go hand in hand.” He reiterated that Pakistan draws no distinction between good and bad terrorists, saying “a good terrorist is one who has been neutralized.”

He also shared figures for the dignified repatriation of Afghan refugees, saying 366,704 returned in 2024 and 971,604 in 2025, including 239,574 in November alone.

He concluded by saying that “truth always prevails over falsehood, and Pakistan stands with the truth.”