Pakistan ready to crush Afghan Taliban threats, impose ‘heavy cost’: DG ISPR
DG ISPR warns Kabul against harbouring militants, says Pakistan is prepared to counter drone and cross-border threats.
DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry warns Kabul against harbouring terrorists, says Pakistan has clear strategy to respond to threats from Afghan soil
RAWALPINDI: (News Pulse) Pakistan has the capability to counter any security threat emanating from Afghanistan, including potential drone attacks by the Afghan Taliban, and is prepared to respond forcefully to any attempt to challenge its operational readiness, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry has said.
In an interview with Reuters, the military spokesperson warned that the Afghan Taliban lacked the capacity to withstand the consequences of any military response Pakistan could deliver.
“Whatever they want to send, they can; they may try. We have the capability to take them on,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said, adding that the Afghan Taliban did not have the capability to absorb the punishment Pakistan could inflict in response.
Responding to questions about the potential use of drones by the Afghan Taliban and the possibility of Pakistan facing similar threats witnessed elsewhere in the region, the ISPR director general said whatever drone capabilities the Afghan Taliban possessed were not indigenous but supplied by their sponsors.
He identified India as the “biggest terror sponsor” in the context of threats confronting Pakistan, alleging that the Afghan Taliban and militant organisations operating against Pakistan were acting as Indian proxies.
Referring to Pakistan’s previous military confrontation with India, Lt Gen Chaudhry said New Delhi had deployed dozens of sophisticated drones during the conflict, but Pakistan successfully intercepted and neutralised them.
“We turned them into dust everywhere,” he said, maintaining that Pakistan’s operational preparedness and technological capabilities had advanced further since then.
‘There will be a cost’
The ISPR chief accused the Afghan Taliban administration of providing shelter to militant leaders and allowing armed groups to use Afghan territory for carrying out attacks inside Pakistan.
He said Islamabad was not interested in isolating Afghanistan and remained committed to engagement with Kabul. However, he stressed that the Afghan Taliban must fulfil their responsibilities as a government and prevent their territory from being used for terrorism against neighbouring countries.
“We only ask you that don’t support terrorism inside Pakistan. Stop harbouring the terrorist leaders,” he said.
Lt Gen Chaudhry alleged that militant groups were crossing into Pakistan from Afghanistan and obtaining weapons from Afghan territory. He further claimed that Afghan nationals, including individuals associated with the Taliban regime, had been found among groups involved in attacks against Pakistan.
“If you do it, then there will be a cost,” he warned, adding that Pakistan possessed both the capability and a clearly defined strategy to impose that cost.
He said Afghanistan was providing an environment in which multiple militant organisations could operate, while rejecting allegations that Pakistan was hosting or coordinating groups opposed to the Afghan Taliban administration.
‘Afghanistan producing terrorism and drugs’
Rejecting the notion that Afghanistan should be isolated internationally, the military spokesperson called for sustained engagement by regional countries and the international community to persuade the Taliban administration to fulfil its responsibilities as a state.
“What Afghanistan is producing right now, it has only two products: terrorism and drugs,” he said, warning that both posed serious threats to regional and international security.
He maintained that Pakistan had no intention of dictating Afghanistan’s political or governance arrangements, saying the country’s future system of government was a matter for the Afghan people to decide.
However, he stressed that no country could allow armed groups, militias or mercenaries to operate from its territory and threaten neighbouring states.
Pakistan Army adapting to technology-driven warfare
Discussing the changing character of modern warfare, Lt Gen Chaudhry said the Pakistan Army was continuously upgrading its capabilities to address emerging conventional and non-contact threats, particularly those involving drones, cyber technologies and other advanced systems.
He said the growing availability of sophisticated non-contact warfare capabilities to non-state actors had created new security challenges, requiring countries to reassess their defence strategies and security arrangements.
Asked whether the Pakistan military was using artificial intelligence to identify targets inside Afghanistan, the ISPR director general declined to disclose specific operational details.
“I cannot go into specifics [about] how we are using AI, how we are using quantum technology, how we are using cyber technology, or how we are using multiple other technologies,” he said.
However, he confirmed that the military was employing a range of emerging technologies to strengthen its operational capabilities.
“But we are using all sorts of technologies. We are a technology-savvy army,” he added.
