Director General Inter-Services Public Relations, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has emphatically stated that Pakistan will win the war against terrorism not through appeasement, but by force and strength.
Giving a comprehensive overview of counter-terrorism measures taken during the last year at a news conference in Rawalpindi today, he said there is absolute clarity on this approach.
The DG ISPR said the last year was a landmark and consequential year in our fight against terrorism. He said the year witnessed unprecedented intensity of counter terrorism efforts.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry highlighted that the world has also acknowledged Pakistan’s stance on terrorism, particularly about Afghanistan, having become a base of terrorism operations.
He mentioned that seventy-five thousand one hundred and seventy-five intelligence-based operations were carried out last year, averaging two hundred and six operations per day. Providing a breakdown, he said fourteen thousand six hundred and fifty-eight operations were carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, fifty-eight thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight in Balochistan, and one thousand seven hundred and thirty-nine in the rest of Pakistan.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said five thousand three hundred and ninety-seven terrorist incidents took place last year including three thousand eight hundred and eleven in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said political-terror nexus is the reason behind the surge in terror incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Referring to ten major terror incidents that took place last year, the DG ISPR said those involved in them were all Afghans. He said two thousand five hundred and ninety-seven terrorists were killed last year.
He said the total number of martyrs comprising security forces and civilians was one thousand two hundred and thirty-five. He paid tributes to the martyrs who rendered their lives for security and future of Pakistan.
The DG ISPR regretted that the Afghan land has become the central point from where the terrorists of all types are being nurtured. He said the Afghan Taliban regime provides the base of operation to the terrorist groups which are being provided financing and patronage by India. He said sophisticated weapons left behind by the United States are also available to the terrorist groups.
