By Imran Nasir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's military said on Friday that security forces have killed more than 2,000 militants in over 40,000 intelligence-based operations conducted across the country during the first seven months of 2026, while accusing India and Afghanistan's Taliban-led government of sponsoring and facilitating terrorism inside Pakistan.

Addressing a wide-ranging press conference at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the country's counterterrorism campaign had intensified significantly, with nearly 200 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) being conducted every day.

He ruled out negotiations with militant groups, saying Pakistan would continue military operations until they surrendered or were eliminated.

"There is no space for appeasement or talks with terrorists," the military spokesman said. "They either submit to the writ of the state in accordance with the Constitution and the law, or they will face us."

More than 40,000 operations

According to official military figures, Pakistan conducted 40,348 intelligence-based operations involving the armed forces, police, intelligence agencies and paramilitary forces between January and July 2026.

More than 31,000 of those operations were carried out in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where separatist violence has intensified in recent years.

The military said 3,145 terrorist incidents occurred nationwide during the period, including:

• 1,971 attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• 1,148 attacks in Balochistan
• 26 attacks in other parts of Pakistan

The incidents included 28 suicide bombings.

Lieutenant General Chaudhry said 2,084 militants were killed during the operations, averaging around 10 militants killed every day, which he described as the highest operational ratio recorded by Pakistan's security forces.

819 Pakistanis killed

The military said 819 Pakistanis were killed in terrorist attacks during the first seven months of the year.

According to the breakdown provided:

• 303 Pakistan Army personnel
• 194 police and other law enforcement officials
• 322 civilians

lost their lives.

The spokesman said the ratio between security force casualties and militants killed had improved over recent years.

He said that while militants previously inflicted higher losses on security forces, Pakistan's counterterrorism operations had shifted the balance.

"In 2025, for every martyr we eliminated at least two terrorists. This year that ratio has increased to approximately 2.5 terrorists for every Pakistani martyr," he said.

No negotiations with militants

The military reiterated that dialogue with armed groups was no longer an option.

According to Lieutenant General Chaudhry, militant organizations and their supporters had realized that Pakistan's policy had fundamentally changed.

"They understand there is no room for appeasement or negotiations. The state has made it clear that they either surrender under the Constitution or face military action."

He added that increased militant attacks were partly a consequence of Pakistan's more aggressive operational strategy, with security forces carrying out proactive operations instead of merely responding after attacks.

India and Afghanistan accused

During the briefing, the military spokesman directly accused India and Afghanistan's Taliban regime of supporting terrorism inside Pakistan.

He said that terrorists operating in Pakistan enjoyed sanctuaries across the Afghan border and said that many suicide attacks had been carried out by Afghan nationals or individuals linked to Afghan security structures.

"The agenda of the terrorist-supporting Taliban regime has become very clear," he said.

He also accused India of coordinating with militant organizations targeting Pakistan.

"What is common between India and Afghanistan?" he asked. "The only thing common is terrorism."

The military claimed that militant groups operating in Balochistan and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which the government officially refers to as "Fitna-al-Khawarij," were now coordinating their activities despite having different ideological backgrounds.

Focus on Balochistan

A significant portion of the nearly three-hour briefing focused on Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least populated province, where Baloch terrorist groups have stepped up attacks on security forces, infrastructure and civilians.

Lieutenant General Chaudhry rejected what he described as attempts on social media and in sections of international media to portray the province as spiraling into chaos.

He argued that the overall security situation was improving and said the state remained firmly in control.

"The perception that Balochistan is slipping away is deliberately being created," he said.

The spokesman argued that Balochistan's principal challenge was not military but political and economic, blaming what he described as decades of "elitism and sardarism."

He accused influential tribal elites of resisting reforms because they feared losing control over provincial resources.

"The era when a small elite monopolized Balochistan's resources is ending," he said.

He maintained that development funds would increasingly benefit ordinary residents rather than traditional power brokers.

Civilian attacks

The military also highlighted attacks on civilians and public infrastructure in Balochistan during 2026.

According to the figures presented:

• 178 civilians were killed
• 55 civilians were kidnapped
• 24 bridges and roads were damaged
• 60 public buildings and properties were set on fire
• 47 looting incidents were recorded
• Police and Levies personnel were targeted in 105 attacks

The spokesman said terrorist groups deliberately target development projects and filming attacks for propaganda purposes before amplifying them through social media.

He alleged that more than 300 Indian websites, over 1,000 social media accounts, and hostile overseas networks were involved in spreading anti-Pakistan narratives following attacks.

Afghan repatriation

Lieutenant General Chaudhry also defended Pakistan's policy of repatriating undocumented Afghan nationals.

He said approximately 2.6 million Afghan nationals had returned to Afghanistan since the repatriation drive began in September 2023, including around 600,000 during 2026 alone.

Pakistan, he said, welcomes Afghan nationals who enter legally on valid visas but would continue removing undocumented foreigners.

Pakistan has experienced a sharp increase in terrorist violence since the Afghan Taliban returned to Kabul. Security incidents have risen particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where terrorist groups have intensified attacks on security forces, government installations and civilians.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan's Taliban regime of allowing anti-Pakistan militants to operate from Afghan territory and has alleged Indian support for terrorist groups in Balochistan. Both Kabul and New Delhi have denied.

Pakistan says it will continue intelligence-based operations nationwide as part of what it describes as a long-term strategy to dismantle militant networks and restore security.