“Stop Terrorism — That’s Your Job”: DG ISPR Tells Taliban; Says Pakistan, Not Kabul, Guarantees Security — No Drone Pact with U.S.

Islamabad: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General **Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry** has issued a stern warning to the Afghan Taliban regime, urging them to end cross-border terrorism and make their territory inhospitable to militant groups — “that’s your job,” he said at a briefing for senior journalists. The DG asserted that Pakistan’s armed forces, not Kabul, are the guarantors of Pakistan’s security. ([Dunya News][1])

Addressing questions about drone operations, Lt-Gen Chaudhry denied any agreement with the United States that would permit drones to operate from Pakistani soil into Afghanistan, and said no formal complaint from the Taliban about drones launched from Pakistan had been received. He stressed that “no drones from the U.S. go from Pakistan” and that Islamabad has clarified this repeatedly. ([Dunya News][1])

The DG accused the Taliban regime of facilitating terrorists and said Pakistan had clearly told them — including during contacts in Istanbul — that Afghan soil must not be used for attacks against Pakistan. He urged Kabul to hand over militants who fled into Afghanistan after Pakistani operations so they can be dealt with under Pakistani law. ([The Express Tribune][2])

Lt-Gen Chaudhry highlighted what he called a **“terror-crime nexus”** linking militancy, drug cultivation and smuggling, and local powerbrokers: noting that opium cultivation yields large profits (he cited figures for per-acre returns), which feed militant groups, warlords and cross-border terror activity. He warned that those who shelter or facilitate terrorists would not be allowed safe space inside Pakistan. ([Pakistan Today][3])

On other points, the DG said intelligence-based operations have continued — with casualties among Pakistani forces in those operations — and reiterated that decisions on the creation of military posts or changes to force structure are government matters, not the army’s prerogative to announce. He also said questions about sending troops to Gaza are for the civilian government to decide. ([The Express Tribune][2])

The military spokesman reiterated Pakistan’s demand that Afghanistan prevent use of its territory for terrorism, stressed the difficulty of policing a 2,600-km mountainous border, and called on the international community and regional interlocutors to press Kabul for action to stop cross-border militancy. ([Dunya News][1])