RAWALPINDI (Kashmir English): In a recent development, the Director General of Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) revealed that 4,729 incidents of terrorism were recorded across Pakistan this year, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone reporting 3,357 incidents, making it the most affected province.
Addressing misconceptions, the DG ISPR stated that a narrative is often pushed that since the Frontier Corps is deployed along the Afghan border, terrorism should automatically be under control.
He explained the reality was nowhere near as simple. “Name one village along the Punjab or Sindh border that is divided on both sides? On the Afghan border, 29 tribes have divided villages, where surveillance is next to impossible,” he observed. He explained that these are places where patrolling has to be increased manifold, and similarly, drone monitoring has to be enhanced.
The military spokesperson identified severe governance voids in several regions. “If you go to areas like Khyber, Waziristan, and Tirah, there is no functional administration, no courts, and no effective system of writ. Where governance is absent, terrorism finds space,” he said.
While questioning the lack of civilian oversight, DG ISPR asked if areas beyond the Afghan border fall in the domain of the army alone. “Where is the government? Some 450,000 non-customs-paid vehicles are freely moving around. Who is responsible for seizing them? Who has to stop them?” he said, demanding better civilian administrative control.
DG ISPR also reiterated that counterterrorism is an integrated process where the civil administration and security forces undertake their respective roles to restore stability in affected areas.
The ISPR head said that ” We don’t have a problem with Afghans, we have a problem with the Afghan regime, adding that We are on the right path and we will prevail.
