Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said good governance remains essential to Pakistan’s long-term security and stability, while highlighting record counter-terrorism achievements during a wide-ranging press briefing on the national security situation.
The DG ISPR said the National Action Plan’s comprehensive agenda, backed by consensus among all political parties, requires strong governance for effective implementation. He noted that with Pakistan’s population now exceeding 240 million across four provinces, a serious and sensible debate among political leaders on administrative structures could help further strengthen governance, always in line with the will of the people and through constitutional and legal means.
Sharing security statistics for the year so far, the DG ISPR said security forces had conducted over 40,000 intelligence-based operations in 2026, the majority in Balochistan, resulting in more than 2,000 confirmed terrorists eliminated, an average of around ten per day and the highest ratio recorded to date. He paid tribute to the hundreds of soldiers, law enforcement personnel and civilians who had been martyred this year, calling their sacrifices the foundation of the nation’s security gains.
He said the ratio of terrorists neutralised compared with security forces’ losses has continued to improve each year, reflecting the growing maturity and effectiveness of Pakistan’s counter-terrorism campaign, carried out under the Azm-e-Istehkam framework.
Addressing perceptions about Balochistan, the DG ISPR said the province’s challenges stem largely from entrenched elitism and resistance to change among certain vested interests, compounded by external interference, rather than any lack of state commitment. He highlighted that Balochistan receives the highest per-capita development budget of any province, with billions of rupees allocated to socioeconomic projects, the Balochistan Special Development Initiative and new security infrastructure such as the upcoming FC West command, aimed at protecting the region’s mineral wealth and unlocking its economic potential.
He added that the state remains committed to engaging directly with the people of Balochistan, expanding opportunities and addressing genuine grievances through dialogue, expressing confidence that the province is poised to become one of Pakistan’s richest in the years ahead.
On Kashmir, the DG ISPR reaffirmed that the region remains the jugular vein of Pakistan, describing an unwavering national and Kashmiri consensus that the territory’s future lies with Pakistan. He said the state continues to encourage all political stakeholders in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to pursue their concerns through legal, constitutional and democratic means.