Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry is currently addressing a press conference in Rawalpindi, highlighting that a record-high 925 terrorists were killed in the outgoing year.

The press conference takes place amid heightened security concerns, with a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces and other law enforcement agencies, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This is the fifth media briefing by the ISPR spokesperson this year.

Addressing the press conference, Gen Chaudhry said security forces conducted a total of 59,775 operations this year, noting that Pakistan has rendered a lot of sacrifices in its fight against terrorism.

“During these successful operations, 925 terrorists, including khawarij, were sent to hell while numerous were arrested,” he said, highlighting that the number of terrorists killed was the largest in the last five years.

Gen Chaudhry said he would speak on “important matters of 2024, especially matters relating to national security, country’s defence in view of the changing regional situation, interior security, and counterterrorism efforts this year”.

He added he would also speak on the armed forces’ training exercises and steps taken for people’s welfare.

The ISPR official stated that “more than 179 operations” were being conducted on a daily basis by the Pakistan Army, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and the police.

Gen Chaudhry noted that during the security operations, the forces also successfully eliminated 73 “high-value targets, most-wanted terrorists”.

These, he said, included Fitna al Khawarij leader from Malakand Division.

According to the interior ministry, in the first 10 months of this year, 948 out of 1,566 terrorism incidents reported occurred in KP, resulting in 583 deaths (out of a total of 924 martyrdom).

On the counterterrorism front, 341 terrorists were killed in 2,801 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) during the same period, the interior ministry report said.

In a recent major attack, 16 soldiers were martyred last week when terrorists attacked a checkpost in Makeen in KP’s South Waziristan district, while eight terrorists were also killed as the armed forces responded.

In a subsequent intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the district, 13 terrorists were killed. The next day, another 13 terrorists were killed during three separate security operations in the province’s Bannu, North Waziristan and South Waziristan districts.

Today’s press conference also comes amid recent developments in cases relating to the military’s self-accountability and action against suspects of last year’s May 9 riots.

In the past week, the military has also announced prison terms ranging from two to ten years for 85 civilians over countrywide violent protests on May 9 last year, which it says were coordinated by the PTI.

Earlier this month, former intelligence chief retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, whose arrest by the military was announced in August, was indicted on “charges of engaging in political activities”.

In his last press conference on September 5, the DG ISPR had noted that Field General Court Martial (FGCM) proceedings against Gen Hameed were initiated following a “detailed inquiry based on concrete evidence”.

On August 5, Gen Chaudhry had said that not enough was being done against “digital terrorism” under the law, allowing fake news and propaganda to spread in the country.

More to follow