By Zahid Shah

ISLAMABAD - A senior Pakistani security official has accused terrorist groups operating from Afghan territory of carrying out what he described as “open aggression” against Pakistan, as the country grapples with a sharp rise in deadly attacks.

In comments to The South Asia Times, the official said recent incidents -- including an attack on a Frontier Constabulary convoy in Karak in which personnel were reportedly burned alive, the killing of DSP Asad Mahmood in Shakardara, Kohat, and a suicide bombing in Bhakkar, Bannu, and Bajaur -- were linked to militants based in Afghanistan.

“These attacks, even during the sacred month of Ramadan, show that the perpetrators have no regard for religion or human life,” the official said, referring to the Afghan Taliban authorities' failure to act against groups Islamabad refers to as “Fitna al-Khawarij or Indian sponsored terrorist group.”

The latest warning comes amid an escalation in cross-border tensions. On Saturday night, Pakistan's military conducted intelligence-based airstrikes targeting what it described as seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to the Afghanistan-based terrorist groups, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in Afghanistan's Nangarhar, Paktika, and Khost provinces.

Islamabad described the operation as a "retributive response" to a wave of recent attacks inside Pakistan, including a suicide bombing at a mosque in Islamabad, multiple assaults in Bajaur and Bannu, and the martyrdom of six law enforcement personnel -- including a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Kohat district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated that the strikes were "precise and accurate," claiming that nearly 80 militants were neutralized in the operation. 

The situation further deteriorated overnight with fresh border clashes between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban forces. These confrontations mark one of the most direct military escalations between the two neighbors in recent months, risking further destabilization of an already volatile frontier.

- President Zardari's warning 

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari issued a forceful statement on Sunday, declaring that Pakistan's "tolerance for cross-border terrorism has reached its limit". He emphasized that Pakistan's actions stem from its "inherent right to defend its people against terrorism emanating from across its borders" and follow repeated warnings that went unheeded.

Zardari pointed to a recent United Nations Security Council report confirming that multiple militant groups, including the TTP, ISKP, and Al-Qaida, "are present in Afghanistan" and "have used or are continuing to use Afghanistan to plan and prepare external attacks".

"It is regrettable that despite clear warnings and repeated engagement, the Afghan authorities failed to take credible and verifiable action against these elements," he added.

- A wave of Ramadan violence 

The backdrop to this military escalation is a devastating surge in terrorist attacks during the holy month of Ramadan. On Tuesday evening, a suicide bomber struck the Dajil Inter-Provincial Checkpost in Punjab's Bhakkar district, martyring two policemen and injuring several others, including three civilians. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack, as well as for a separate ambush in Kohat that killed six police personnel.

In a strongly worded statement issued following these incidents, a Pakistani official condemned the perpetrators, asserting that carrying out suicide attacks during Ramadan "clearly demonstrates that the perpetrators have no connection with Islam or Pashtun traditions."

The statement characterized the attackers as having no regard for innocent human lives "in pursuit of their malicious and self-fabricated ideology."

Amid the escalating crisis, Pakistani security officials have issued an urgent appeal for national cohesion. Officials emphasized that the fight against terrorism is "not solely the responsibility of the armed forces, police, or Frontier Corps, but needs unity of the entire nation".

Officials stressed that "political, religious, or ideological differences should not divide the nation," and that eliminating what they term "Fitna-al-Khawarij" and "Fitna-al-Hindustan" -- terrorist groups sponsored by India -- requires complete national cohesion.

They alleged that India is behind all sponsored terrorism inside Pakistan, and that the recent attacks were carried out by terrorists trained in Afghanistan.

"This war against the State and people of Pakistan requires that we rise above political affiliations and collectively confront terrorism sponsored from Afghanistan and India," the official said.

"National security, dignity, and the protection of citizens' lives and property must take precedence over political considerations."

Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have escalated dramatically since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan maintains that cross-border militant attacks have increased since then and accuses the Taliban of failing to honor commitments under the 2020 Doha Agreement to prevent Afghan soil from being used for attacks against other countries.

The Taliban deny allowing such activity.

The latest exchange of fire and accusations threatens to further strain already fragile ties along the volatile 2,600-kilometer border. 

However, for Pakistan, the message is clear: "These handful of terrorists, acting at the behest of external sponsors, will be decisively defeated through national cohesion, collective honor, and traditional resolve."