Pakistan army alleges India uses Afghanistan as operational base
A spokesperson for the Pakistan Army accused India of using Afghanistan as a “base of operations” and alleged Afghan nationals’ roles in anti-security activities inside Pakistan during a press briefing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry criticized the KP provincial government, saying it should focus on protecting its citizens rather than “begging Afghanistan” for security.
“Appeasement of terrorists and their facilitators is never and never a policy,” he said. He added that state institutions would not be swayed by political distortions.
Chaudhry said the province was “paying the price” for governance gaps, citing that 14,535 intelligence‑based operations were conducted in KP in 2024, resulting in 769 militants killed — including 58 Afghan nationals — and the deaths of 272 army, 140 police, and 165 civilians. For 2025 through Sept. 15, he said, 10,115 operations killed 970 militants, with 311 Pakistan army personnel killed.
He accused successive governments of failing to fully implement the National Action Plan (NAP), allowing political interference and the creation of a “terrorism‑crime nexus.” He contended that India’s purported use of Afghanistan as a terrorism base, provision of advanced weapons to militants, and politicization of counterterrorism hinder progress.
Asked about reports of a strike on Kabul to kill a Tehrik‑i‑Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader, Chaudhry asserted, “Afghanistan is a neighborly, Islamic country … We only say one thing: do not allow your soil to be used for terrorism against Pakistan.” He added that Pakistan had historically hosted Afghan refugees and continued bilateral and multilateral engagements to address cross‑border militancy.
He maintained that Pakistani institutions would continue “whatever is necessary to protect lives and territorial integrity,” citing evidence that Afghanistan is being used as an operational base.
On international efforts, he said Pakistan coordinated with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, China, the U.S., Turkey, and others. “The threat from non‑state actors is not only a danger to Pakistan or the region but to the world,” he said. He warned that Taliban must choose whether to allow sanctuaries for militants, pointing out that groups often turn on their benefactors.
He dismissed the notion that security should be outsourced to external forces, saying state institutions must assume first responsibility.