Pakistan’s military has revealed that more than 3,000 terrorism-related incidents occurred across the country in 2026, resulting in the deaths of 800 people, including security personnel.

The Inter-Services Public Relations Director-General, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, disclosed the figures during a press conference in Islamabad on Friday.

He stated that 3,145 incidents of terrorism were recorded this year. Of these, 1,971 took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,148 in Balochistan, and 26 in other regions. He emphasised that the scale of violence was unprecedented, with an average of 10 terrorists killed daily, the highest ratio ever recorded.

Chaudhry confirmed that 819 Pakistanis were killed in these attacks. Among them were 303 army personnel and 194 law enforcers from the police and civil armed forces. He added that 2,084 terrorists were eliminated during the same period, reflecting the intensity of counter-terrorism operations.

He highlighted that 40,348 intelligence-based operations were conducted across the country, with 31,000 of them concentrated in Balochistan. He noted that 28 suicide bombings occurred this year, most of them carried out by Afghan nationals and individuals linked to Afghan security forces.

Addressing perceptions about Balochistan, Chaudhry argued that deliberate attempts were being made to portray the province as deteriorating. He said the fundamental issue was elitism and the tribal Sardari system, which had maintained the status quo since 1947. He explained that under this system, a poor man’s child could not access education or progress, and elites and sardars continued to dominate.

On the question of Pakistan being a ‘hard state’, Chaudhry clarified that the concept did not mean military rule or armed forces dominance. He said a hard state was one where the constitution and law applied equally to everyone, which unfortunately was not the case in Pakistan.

He asserted that those in Balochistan who resisted change were the prime movers of terrorism. He accused them of committing acts of violence and spreading narratives of instability to protect their interests. He insisted that the military would not appease such elements but would instead engage with the actual stakeholders, the people of Balochistan.

Commenting on Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s remarks about new administrative units, Chaudhry said the army had long advocated for good governance as essential for Pakistan’s security and stability. He stressed that governance reforms were critical to addressing underlying issues.

Turning to Afghanistan, Chaudhry launched a scathing attack on the Taliban regime in Kabul. He alleged that terrorism was the business of the Afghan government, sustaining its economy, state, and even diplomacy. He claimed that Afghan diplomacy itself revolved around terrorism.

He provocatively remarked that the only thing common between India and Afghanistan was terrorism, though he did not provide evidence to support this allegation.

The figures presented underscore the scale of Pakistan’s security challenges in 2026, with thousands of operations, hundreds of casualties, and persistent cross-border concerns. The military’s narrative reflects both its frustration with Afghanistan and its determination to confront domestic insurgency while pushing for governance reforms.

PTI