Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Monday warned that India will attempt a false flag operation in the maritime domain, during a closed-door briefing given to senior journalists from select media outlets.

In a press release today, the Indian defence ministry stated that it was beginning the ‘Trishul’ military exercise in early November. The exercise, spearheaded by the Indian Navy, would also include the Indian Army and Air Force.

Speaking about the possibility of Indian aggression, DG ISPR said, “Let India do whatever it wants — on land, in the sea, or in the air. India must know — this time, the response will be far more severe.”

During his briefing, the military’s spokesperson highlighted that operations are underway against terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses to designate members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — with 1,667 terrorists killed.

Giving some more details, DG ISPR said as many as “62,113 operations have been carried out this year, and 582 soldiers have been martyred. Most of these operations were carried out in Balochistan.”

Kabul’s conditions ‘hold no significance’

Lt Gen Chaudhry also said that the conditions set by Afghanistan hold no significance and only the elimination of terrorism matters to Pakistan.

On October 19, Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed to an immediate ceasefire following high-level negotiations in Doha, where both countries pledged to respect each other’s sovereignty; they were expected to meet again on October 25 to discuss matters further. The second round of talks on October 25 kicked off in Istanbul, with Islamabad eyeing a “concrete” mechanism to monitor Afghan Taliban actions aimed at preventing cross-border terrorist attacks.

“The conditions set by Afghanistan hold no significance,” Lt Gen Chaudhry told the journalists. “The important thing is the eradication of terrorism.”

He added that the guarantors of Pakistani security are the armed forces, not Afghanistan and that Islamabad has “never celebrated” the arrival of the Taliban.

“In Istanbul, the Afghan Taliban were clearly told that they need to control terrorism,” Lt Gen Chaudhry stated. “How they do it is their job. We conducted a counter-terrorism operation, and the terrorists fled to Afghanistan. Hand them over, we’ll deal with them according to the Constitution and the law.

“There will be no talks with terrorists, and Pakistan gave the Afghan Taliban a befitting response, which yielded the results we wanted.”

He added that during the recent Pakistan–Afghanistan border clashes, 206 Afghan Taliban and 112 khawarij were killed.

“The TTP has pledged allegiance in the name of the emir of the Afghan Taliban,” Lt Gen Chaudhry stated, adding that the organisation was a “branch” of the Afghan Taliban.

Senior journalist Hamid Mir, who attended the briefing, told Geo News that the journalists were presented with evidence of Afghan Taliban soldiers involved in terrorism in Pakistan.

“We were presented with the same evidence shared with the Afghan Taliban in Doha,” Mir reported. “These soldiers had Afghan and Afghan Army identification cards.

Crime-terror nexus

DG ISPR highlighted the role of the nexus between criminals and terrorist organisations, noting that through opium cultivation, terrorists make between Rs1.8 and 2.5 million per acre. He added that terrorists collect money from people in the name of ushr (Islamic tithe).

“The entire population joins them, even warlords join in, and they all work together,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said.

He added that drugs are being smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan and further. “Afghan drug smugglers are interfering in Afghan politics.”

“If you have awakened love for Afghanistan, then you should go live there,” DG ISPR said.

Border skirmishes and talks

Pakistan and Afghanistan saw a worsening of ties during recent weeks, which featured border skirmishes, counter-statements and allegations.

The hostilities began last month when an attack was launched on Pakistan from Afghanistan on the night of October 11. The attack had followed an allegation from the Afghan Taliban of airstrikes by Pakistan into Afghanistan — an accusation which Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied.

For its part, Islamabad has long demanded that the Taliban stop terror groups from using its soil against Pakistan. The Taliban, however, deny the allegation of allowing terrorists to operate from Afghan soil.

Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to grapple with the issue of terrorism and has suffered multiple casualties among security forces in intelligence-based operations.

After the initial skirmish on October 11, multiple others took place along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Meanwhile, strikes by Islamabad also targeted Gul Bahadur group camps in Afghanistan.

Eventually, the two sides came together for dialogue in Doha, which resulted in a temporary ceasefire, as well as a commitment to reconvene in Istanbul to work on mechanisms for lasting peace and stability between the two countries.

Türkiye and Qatar have deep ties with Pakistan, while Qatar also played a major role in the negotiations between the Afghan Taliban and Nato forces.