In the wee hours of Sunday, the Pakistan Air Force conducted intelligence-based airstrikes on seven terrorist camps in different locations in Afghanistan. According to Pakistani officials, over 80 terrorists were killed as a result of these airstrikes.
The strikes came in response to recent terrorist attacks in different areas of Pakistan, including Islamabad Imam Bargah, Bajaur and Bannu, which claimed several civilian and military lives. Afghan officials accused Pakistan of targeting innocent civilians, mosques and madrassahs. The narrative of Pakistan targeting innocent civilians is sheer fabrication.
Pakistan didn’t attack Afghan civilians; rather, its strikes were focused merely on Fitna-al-Khawarij (FAK), demonstrating Pakistan’s right to defend itself against terror activities. Fitna-al-Khawarij (FAK) use civilians as human shields and deliberately embed themselves within civilian spaces for propaganda advantages.
However, Pakistan’s operational planning always takes into account the possibility of collateral damage and takes measures to reduce it. Additionally, contrary to FAK, which has repeatedly desecrated mosques, imambargahs and educational institutions, Pakistan has always ensured that the sanctity of such places is maintained even during times of conflict.
What the militants call “mosques” and “madrassahs” are actually terrorist sanctuaries and training camps used to train militants and propagate anti-Pakistan ideologies. The heavy-handed approach was adopted only after the diplomatic engagements with Afghan rulers, including Turkiye and Qatar mediation, failed to create a desirable effect. Pakistan has time and again urged the Afghan Taliban regime, by presenting actionable evidence, to take verifiable measures against terrorist groups launching attacks in Pakistan.
Calling on Afghan rulers to rein in FAK is an additional attempt to completely eliminate the menace of terrorism.
However, the Afghan Taliban regime publicly denied the presence of any militant hideouts in Afghanistan and accused Pakistan of shifting the blame for its internal issue, leaving Pakistan no choice but to take kinetic measures against militant attacks emanating from Afghan soil. It is important to mention that Pakistan is not externalising the responsibility.
As per the official data shared publicly, Pakistan conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations, averaging 206 per day, in 2025, in response to terrorist incidents, eliminating 2,597 terrorists, and sacrificing hundreds of civilians and security personnel in the line of duty. The statistics depict that Pakistan forces are actively involved in counter-terrorism operations against militants. Calling on Afghan rulers to rein in FAK is an additional attempt to completely eliminate the menace of terrorism.
Launching airstrikes on Fitna-al-Khawarij (FAK) hideouts is one of the tactics Pakistan has pursued to mount pressure on the Afghan regime. Other measures include halting trade activity with Afghanistan and closing the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Whether the policy yields desirable results or not is yet to be seen; however, one thing is certain: the measures will create considerable pressure on the present Afghan regime. Suspension of trade and border closure have already resulted in significant revenue loss for the Afghan economy, which is expected to provoke resentment among locals.
In addition to this, the United Nations 2025 report revealed that while a considerable faction within the Afghan regime supports Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), some of the senior members view TTP as a factor behind the strained relationship with Pakistan and believe that the group should be reined in.
Pakistan will continue to take such defensive measures in future as well, unless the Afghan Taliban reins in militants. The Afghan Taliban must understand that lasting peace in the region will only be possible when militant sanctuaries are dismantled, not denied.
The writer is a freelance columnist.