RAWALPINDI: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt. General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry clarified on Monday that any decision regarding Pakistan’s participation in the proposed Gaza Peace Force would be taken jointly by the government and parliament.
Speaking informally with journalists, the military spokesperson said Pakistan was an independent and sovereign state in its policymaking. He strongly rejected allegations from the Afghan Taliban regime that Pakistan had permitted U.S. drones to operate from its soil for strikes inside Afghanistan.
“This allegation made by the Afghan Taliban’s spokesman is baseless,” Gen. Chaudhry stated, adding that Pakistan had not allowed any such operations.
He reiterated that the Pakistan Army had no intention of engaging in politics and should be kept out of political matters. Responding to a question, he noted that the authority to impose governor’s rule in any province rested solely with the federal government.
Regarding relations with Afghanistan, the DG ISPR said Pakistan had attended the Doha talks with a singular objective — ensuring Afghan soil is not used for cross-border terrorism. He said Pakistan had made consistent efforts to resolve bilateral issues, with ending terrorism as the top priority.
“Our core issue stems from the Afghan Taliban’s failure to fulfill commitments made in Doha,” he said, referring to the promised Loya Jirga and formation of a representative government. “That promise remains unfulfilled.”
He asserted that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was an offshoot of the Afghan Taliban. “The TTP has pledged allegiance to the Afghan Taliban,” he said, adding that those sympathetic to the group should move to Afghanistan.
Gen. Chaudhry also highlighted the growing nexus between drug smugglers and Afghan politics, saying large quantities of narcotics were being trafficked into Pakistan, with terrorist groups collecting “Ushr” tax on such activities.
Turning to regional security, he warned that India might attempt a false-flag maritime operation. “We suspect India may try to stage a false-flag operation from the sea,” he said. “Pakistan is fully alert, and any misadventure — whether by air, land, or sea — will receive a stronger response.”
On counterterrorism operations, the DG ISPR revealed that 62,113 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were conducted this year — averaging 208 per day. He said 1,667 terrorists were eliminated, while 1,073 individuals, including 584 army personnel, 133 law enforcement officers, and 356 civilians, embraced martyrdom.
He added that 206 Afghan Taliban and 112 Khwarij militants were killed during recent border tensions. Commenting on Afghanistan’s internal situation, he said lasting peace required an inclusive and representative government with participation from all segments, including women.
Highlighting the issue of poppy cultivation in the Tirah Valley, he said 12,000 acres of crop worth Rs2.5 million per acre were ready for harvest, but certain political groups were obstructing anti-narcotics efforts. The revenue, he said, was fueling terrorism.
“Pakistan will not beg Afghanistan for security guarantees,” he asserted. “We will ensure peace through strength. Negotiations with terrorists are out of the question — Afghanistan must act against them or hand them over.”
He also clarified that the state maintained a functional working relationship with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, stressing that “no politician is against the state; institutions must stand with the state.”
 Lt. General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry clarified on Monday that any decision regarding Pakistan’s participation in the proposed Gaza Peace Force would be taken jointly by the government and parliament.){kind=link}