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Will take on terrorists, enablers both inside and outside Pakistan: DG ISPR

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Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Friday that terrorists and their enablers and facilitators would be challenged both inside and outside the country, as he held a press conference in Islamabad related to the Jaffar Express attack.

The attack began on Tuesday afternoon when Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists ambushed the Peshawar-bound train carrying 440 passengers, opening fire and taking hostages. Security forces launched a two-day operation, concluding on Wednesday evening. Lt Gen Chaudhry confirmed that all 33 terrorists were neutralised, but no hostages were harmed in the final rescue phase. He also said the incident had changed the “rules of the game”.

During the presser — conducted alongside Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti — Lt Gen Chaudhry was asked whether there had been any changes or developments in the “rules” since his statement.

“Terrorists will be dealt with as they deserve, as those who drag innocent people out of buses and slaughter them, a group that divides people by ethnicity, have no connection to Baloch [ethnicity] or Islam.

“We will deal with them as they deserve. We will take them on, their facilitators, their abettors, whether inside Pakistan or outside Pakistan,” he responded.

DG ISPR then criticised the Indian media for spreading propaganda about the incident.

“The Indian media displayed fake footage of the incident to spread propaganda,” he said, as he showed some video clips on a screen to prove his point.

“They attempted to create a narrative by sharing AI-generated images and fake videos. They were leading an informational warfare.”

The DG ISPR said a “nexus” was working amid the situation to give legitimacy to the terrorists and their narrative.

Showing various clips of Indian officials and personalities discussing efforts to destabilise Balochistan, the DG ISPR said the Jaffar Express attack was a “continuation of the same policy”.

Most successful hostage operation

Providing details of the train attack and the ensuing rescue operation, he said that the terrorists had deliberately selected a remote location to conduct the attack where there were no telecommunication signals, adding that one group of hostages with women and children was kept inside the train, while the other travellers were brought outside and gathered on the ground.

“They operated in multiple groups, taking strategic positions on higher ground. After planting the improvised explosive device (IED), which disabled the train, they took the passengers hostage,” he detailed.

Lt Gen Chaudhry added that the terrorists had suicide bombers among their ranks.

The military media chief gave a detailed breakdown of the operation, describing each step. “Within 36 hours, in a remote area with inaccessible terrain and the presence of suicide bombers, our soldiers, the air force and the FC (Frontier Corps) successfully conducted the operation with professionalism and bravery.”

He added that the Special Services Group’s Zarrar Company had arrived in the area by midday and was monitoring the terrorists from a distance.

“They carried out a situational assessment,” he said. “They had to plan the operation very carefully because of suicide bombers, who could detonate their vests and kill the maximum number of people.”

DG ISPR said that Zarrar Company targeted the suicide bombers from a distance before moving in to secure the hostages, adding that the hostages, who were sitting in the open for 24 hours, took the opportunity to run to safety.

The media chief showed the audience drone footage of people running from the train.

“They ran in multiple directions, wherever they could go,” he said, adding that once they were safe, Zarrar Company operators cleared the train, moving from the front engine to the rear bogie.

Highlighting drone footage of the soldiers moving into the front engine, DG ISPR said, “They entered and cleared the front engine, killing any terrorists they encountered. They then cleared the whole train bogie by bogie.”

“Not even a single casualty was recorded among the hostages during this entire operation,” DG ISPR highlighted. “Despite their intentions, they (the terrorists) were unable to kill even a single hostage,” he added, clarifying that some passengers had embraced martyrdom before the operation.

“In terms of operations carried out on trains, this can very rightly be put out as the most successful hostage operation conducted,” DG ISPR said.

“A group of hostages was released based on their ethnic affiliations. Just as the CM said it, these terrorists have nothing to do with being Baloch, being Pakistani or being a Muslim.”

He added that there were logistical reasons for the terrorists to release some passengers since there were too many on the train for them to be able to control.

He said the terrorists tried to create a “false impression” of humanitarian values by claiming they had released some hostages.

DG ISPR further stated that a Zarrar Comapny soldier was injured by a sniper positioned on higher ground. “He (the sniper) was taken out, but our young soldier was injured.”

Pictures of terrorists killed during the operation and the weapons and equipment they were using were also shown to the audience. Additionally, DG ISPR also showed video clips of soldiers during the operation itself, along with video messages from rescued hostages.

‘No intelligence failure’

Questioned if the attack represented an intelligence failure, the DG ISPR said that Balochistan presented a “very challenging intelligence environment”, adding that agencies were working round the clock to find leads and preempt attacks.

“I don’t agree with the term ‘intelligence failure’ because behind this are thousands of intelligence successes you don’t hear about — the incidents that never happened because our intelligence detected and neutralised them.”

Speaking to the reporter who raised the question, the DG said that as a journalist, one must be getting many leads on stories, but it was impossible to cover all the stories which were unfolding in Pakistan right now.

“It’s not possible,” he said.

When it came to the work of an intelligence agency, he said, what was normally seen and pointed out was failure.

“The intelligence game is such that you don’t thump your chest on your successes.

“Firstly, we need to realise that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies — in a very challenging hostile environment — are trying their level best,” he said, adding that one should be careful to characterise such incidents as an intelligence failure.

He said that the terrorists operating in the region were not the only threat to the intelligence agencies as they were also backed by the complete intelligence support of their sponsors.

The DG ISPR added that the intelligence agencies knew that in this area, a threat existed, adding that it was because of the intelligence agencies that the security forces were able to respond in a successful manner.

26 passengers martyred

Giving a breakdown of the figures in the incident, the DG ISPR said 33 terrorists were killed, while the count of martyred passengers had been updated to 26 from the previous figure of 21.

He said 354 passengers were successfully identified and rescued, bringing the total passenger count to 380.

Questioned later on about the number of fatalities and discrepancies with figures reported in international media, DG ISPR reiterated that there were 26 fatalities with the potential for more since he said 37 of the 354 recovered hostages were injured.

Chaudhry added that 18 of the 26 martyred belonged to the army or FC, three were linked to the railways and other departments, while the remaining five were civilians.

He said the operational fatalities—those not aboard the train—included three FC personnel killed at the picket, one FC soldier martyred on Wednesday morning, and another stationed for security duty on the train.

Speaking about the rise in terrorism, the DG ISPR said the pace of implementation of the National Action Plan’s 14 points needed to be considered first.

He said law enforcement agencies conducted 59,775 intelligence-based operations, both major and minor, in 2024. So far in 2025, 11,654 IBOs have been carried out.

“This year, we are averaging 180 IBOs per day,” he added. Meanwhile, around 1,250 terrorists were “sent to hell” in 2024 and 2025, while 563 security personnel were martyred in the line of duty, he said.

‘Purely evil forces’

Taking over the press conference, CM Bugti denounced the attack on unarmed people, saying that the “so-called fight against the state” was a farce, driven by purely evil forces. Therefore, the perpetrators should only be referred to as “terrorists.”

“We’re in an intelligence-driven war waged against the state of Pakistan by RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) and other hostile agencies through Afghanistan, especially because Afghan soil is being used against us,” Bugti said.

Islamabad has repeatedly demanded that Kabul take action against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist factions using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegations.

Adding to the comment, the military’s media chief said the train incident was yet another that could be traced back to Afghanistan, noting that the terrorists remained in contact with their handlers there throughout.

“It is part of an ongoing process,” he said, adding that the groups involved were composed of Afghan nationals.

Echoing Chaudhry’s point, Bugti said the past policy of “appeasement” followed by some previous governments toward terrorist groups had allowed key figures to be released, enabling them to reestablish insurgent camps against the state.

Bugti said the security forces had the capacity and capability to “handle this mess very soon”, saying that such a surge was not a new thing.

In 2021, former prime minister Imran Khan had offered a general pardon to the TTP, provided the banned group laid down weapons. In 2023, Imran admitted that his government had planned to relocate at least 5,000 TTP fighters and their families, totaling around 35,000 people, but the plan fell through as provinces refused to bear the cost.

BLA attacks

Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year. In November 2024, at least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station.

In 2024, the banned BLA emerged as a key perpetrator of terrorist violence in Pakistan, according to a report by Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).

In August last year, dozens of militants affiliated with BLA launched numerous attacks across the province, in which at least 50 people, including 14 security men, lost their lives. In response, security forces had neutralised 21 militants.

Earlier that month, then-Panjgur deputy commissioner Zakir Baloch was shot dead on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway, with CM Bugti stating that the BLA was the group behind it.

In October 2024, a suicide bombing near Karachi airport killed two Chinese nationals and a Pakistani citizen, for which two BLA suspects were sent to jail on judicial remand while a probe body was formed as well.

The group also claimed responsibility for the Quetta railway suicide bombing in November last year, in which at least 26 people, including 16 security personnel, lost their lives, and 61 others were injured.

Pakistan designated the BLA as a terrorist organisation in April 2006 after the group repeatedly attacked security personnel.

In January this year, a former BLA member said during a press conference that the banned group “brainwashed average citizens into thinking a certain way about Balochistan and resorting to terrorist activities.”

Last month, the BLA claimed responsibility for an attack in Balochistan’s Barkhan, where seven Punjab-bound passengers were offloaded from a bus and shot dead.

In earlier grand-scale hijackings in the country, one that particularly comes to mind was in 1994, when three armed militants from Afghanistan took control of a school bus near Peshawar and took around 70 children hostage. The bus was driven to the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad, where units of elite commandoes gunned them down the next day.

Taken From DAWN News

https://www.dawn.com/news/1897846/will-take-on-terrorists-enablers-both-inside-and-outside-pakistan-dg-ispr

Pakistan News

Pakistan Stood with the West in Their Wars—But Stood Alone in Its Own

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Paris (Imran Y. CHOUDHRY) :- Former Press Secretary to the President, Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France, Former MD, SRBC Mr. Qamar Bashir analysis : In a series of explosive interviews reverberating across global platforms, President Donald Trump has delivered blunt and consequential assessments—targeting the moral failures of Western military interventions in Iraq, Lybia and Syria.
While the comments triggered controversy, they also revealed long-suppressed realities—particularly for Pakistan, a country that has endured the consequences of wars it neither initiated nor benefited from. From being America’s front-line ally in proxy wars to becoming a scapegoat in the global terrorism narrative, Pakistan’s story now demands a re-examination in light of Trump’s candid revelations.
Trump’s opening salvo dismantled the rationale behind U.S. interventions in Iraq and Libya. These were nations which—despite their authoritarian regimes—had made considerable economic, social, and institutional progress. “There was no terrorism in Iraq or Libya until we bombed them into dust,” Trump declared. Those bombings created stateless regions, collapsing governance and birthing extremist safe havens. Yet, conveniently omitted from this critique was Pakistan—also a victim of the West’s reckless policies.
Like Iraq and Libya, Pakistan became collateral damage—dragged into conflicts it never initiated but was coerced into supporting. In the 1980s, Pakistan was designated the frontline state in the U.S.-led effort to push Soviet forces out of Afghanistan. Under Western direction, it welcomed foreign fighters—Mujahideen—from across the Islamic world, trained and armed by the CIA, and turned its tribal belt into a launchpad for a geopolitical war.
Then came 9/11. Once again, Pakistan was strong-armed into supporting the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan—providing intelligence, military bases, airspace, and logistical support. But instead of receiving gratitude, Pakistan was met with terrorist blowback. Al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants redirected their wrath toward Pakistan, branding a foe. The country paid dearly—losing over 70,000 civilians and military personnel, suffering more than $150 billion in economic damage, and enduring immeasurable social trauma. Yet, far from being acknowledged as a victim, Pakistan was branded a “sponsor of terror.”
The very powers that created, funded, and armed these extremist elements walked away from the destruction they helped unleash, leaving Pakistan to fight alone. The terrorism that still haunts the nation—particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—stems directly from this legacy. Almost daily, security personnel and innocent civilians lose their lives combating these Western-manufactured monsters.
Trump’s implicit recognition of this betrayal is momentous. But acknowledgment alone is not enough. The West has a moral and political obligation to help Pakistan dismantle the terrorist networks it helped create. These factions were never organically rooted in Pakistan—they are the offspring of CIA and NATO experimentation, now deeply embedded due to Western negligence and duplicity.
The most recent demonstration of this hypocrisy occurred in May 2025. The Indian government blamed Pakistan for an attack in Pahalgam without offering any credible evidence. Rather than seeking investigation or international mediation, India launched a barrage of missile strikes into Pakistani territory on May 5—targeting civilian areas, killing innocents, and flagrantly violating international law.
This aggression was not an isolated incident. It was the latest installment in India’s longstanding propaganda campaign falsely portraying Pakistan as a hub of global terrorism. Tragically, this narrative found traction in Western capitals—built on distorted post-9/11 rhetoric rather than fact. To mask their own failures, the West vilified Pakistan, giving India a free pass to act as both executioner and accuser.
But why was India allowed to behave with such impunity? Because it did not act alone.
India’s actions were tacitly enabled by the same Western powers that once turned Pakistan into a breeding ground for Mujahideen fighters. These powers, possessing vast propaganda machines, absolved themselves of blame for financing, training, and deploying terrorists—transferring that blame onto Pakistan. They left Pakistan isolated, forcing it to confront the very threats they helped create, while also branding it as the problem.
The hypocrisy was staggering. Rather than helping Pakistan rehabilitate its image, rebuild its economy, and reconstruct its war-torn infrastructure, the U.S., UK, and broader Western alliance shifted their investments and strategic favor to India. In an effort to contain China, they propped up India diplomatically, militarily, and economically—turning a blind eye to its human rights abuses, its illegal occupation of Kashmir, and its aggressive posturing in the region. India was transformed into a regional bully—handed a license to kill under the false pretense of counter-terrorism.
Had the West fulfilled its moral responsibility and stood by Pakistan when it was wrongly accused of harboring terrorists—just as Pakistan stood with the U.S. during the Cold War and the War on Terror—perhaps the war of May 2025 could have been averted. Had the U.S. sent a clear message that Pakistan’s sovereignty was inviolable, India might have hesitated. Instead, the West’s silence emboldened India to unleash indiscriminate destruction on civilians, women, children, and the elderly.
The blame, therefore, is not India’s alone. It must be shared by those who passively endorsed its aggression—who allowed falsehoods to dictate policy and stood silently as Pakistan was attacked without cause.
The damage to Pakistan goes beyond physical destruction. A generation has grown up under siege—traumatized, militarized, and misunderstood. Extremism and violence were not born in Pakistan; they were seeded through foreign interventions. Pakistan sacrificed its image, its economy, its culture, and its people to fight proxy wars on behalf of others. And in return? Abandonment, blame, and betrayal.
President Trump’s revelations must now be followed by action. The West must assist Pakistan with the same urgency and resources it once devoted to nurturing militancy. This includes intelligence sharing to detect and destroy cross-border training camps, economic aid and debt relief, technological assistance for border surveillance and counter-terrorism, and an end to the false narrative linking Pakistan with terror.
Most crucially, it requires standing with Pakistan during crises—not passively observing or, worse, aligning with its aggressors.
Trump’s truth bombs are more than a historical reckoning—they are a moral wake-up call. The West created this quagmire. It must now take responsibility for helping Pakistan escape it. India’s false narrative can no longer dictate Western policy. Pakistan must be recognized not as a suspect, but as a victim—and above all, a partner in the pursuit of peace.
Pakistan stood with the West when it mattered most. Now it is time for the West to stand with Pakistan—not with hollow rhetoric, but with tangible support and principled solidarity.
Only then can we say that justice—long delayed—is no longer denied.

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May 16: A Day of Victory, Unity, and Gratitude

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Paris (Imran Y. CHOUDHRY) :- Former Press Secretary to the President, Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France, Former MD, SRBC Mr. Qamar Bashir analysis : The war, triggered by unprovoked Indian aggression on May 7, concluded decisively in Pakistan’s favor by May 10. In just four days, Pakistan—through unmatched unity, strategic brilliance, and unwavering faith—shattered the illusion of regional hegemony and emerged triumphant on military, technological, and moral fronts. Now, on May 16, the entire Pakistani nation—joined in spirit by the global Muslim community and peace-loving nations worldwide—commemorates this triumph with prayers, humility, and a renewed resolve to defend peace, dignity, and sovereignty against all aggression.
This was not merely a military victory—it was a moral, spiritual, and technological triumph. It marked the vindication of decades of resilience, the reward for unshakeable unity, and the blessing of divine support that carried the nation through a storm not of its choosing. It was, we believe, not only the help of Allah Almighty but also the spiritual approval, blessings, and support of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) that guided and protected the people of Pakistan.
Pakistan did not seek war. It did not provoke. Yet aggression was imposed by a neighbor long harboring hegemonic ambitions and delusions of grandeur. Armed with a bloated ego and far greater military, economic, and human resources, India assumed it could subjugate a nation it mistakenly deemed weak and divided.
But this time, the script did not follow their expectations.
When war broke out on May 7, 2025, it was Pakistan—the so-called underdog—that stood with clarity and purpose. And when the war ended in humiliation for the aggressor, it was Pakistan that emerged with honor, unity, and humility intact.
As missiles flew and fighter jets roared through the skies, something even more powerful unfolded within Pakistan: a nationwide unification of spirit. All political, religious, ethnic, and regional divides vanished. Pakistan stood as one—unshakable in purpose and united in resolve.
From political leaders across the divide to military commanders in war rooms, from soldiers in trenches to engineers in command centers, from mothers in prayer to diplomats on global media platforms, the nation moved like a single organism. Social media activists, journalists, analysts, veterans, youth, women, and men all became an army of truth-tellers. They countered false narratives with facts, logic, and passion, dismantling the enemy’s propaganda in real time. It wasn’t just a military front—it was a national front.
The war revealed the brilliance of Pakistan’s strategic capabilities. Despite limited resources and less expensive equipment, our armed forces outperformed expectations and embarrassed a technologically superior foe.
The Pakistan Air Force, with fewer and less costly jets but superior skill, executed aerial maneuvers that left international analysts awestruck. Our pilots evaded advanced radar, outmaneuvered India’s much-touted defense systems, and neutralized the highly acclaimed Rafales, Su-30s, MiG-29s, and even the S-400 air defense system.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s cyber warriors intercepted and disrupted India’s missile control systems. As a result, many Indian missiles self-destructed mid-air, misfired on their own territory, or landed harmlessly in Pakistan’s empty deserts. It wasn’t magic—it was the result of meticulous preparation, relentless training, and indigenous innovation.
Pakistan’s three military branches, missile engineers, cyber analysts, and defense strategists operated in perfect coordination. Their synergy ensured that our missiles hit their targets with devastating precision, while Indian weapons turned into little more than expensive fireworks. This conflict proved that true technological edge lies not in budget, but in professionalism, expertise, training, and mastery of modern warfare.
Yet, every war is fought not only at borders but in the hearts of the people. And in this war, the hearts of the Pakistani people were stronger than steel. I recall asking my sister—whose son, Muhammad Ali, was preparing to join the Air Force as an engineer—if she feared losing him in battle. Her response still echoes in my mind: “Not only him. If I had more sons, I would send each one of them to defend our motherland.”
That sentiment resonated across the nation. Parents wept but did not hesitate. Women contributed through prayers, volunteering, and keeping national morale high. Children displayed fearlessness, and elders raised their hands in fervent supplication. The spirit of sacrifice extended far beyond the battlefield—it permeated every home.
Pakistan did not stand alone. The entire Muslim world extended moral and diplomatic support. Though Pakistan did not request material assistance, the solidarity from brotherly nations became a powerful moral shield. It was a collective declaration: Pakistan is not alone.
When a journalist asked China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson whether Beijing would support Pakistan, the answer was unequivocal: “We stand by Pakistan like an iron wall. We will take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, dignity, and territorial integrity.” This firm affirmation sent a clear message to the world: Pakistan is not isolated. It is respected, and its cause is seen as just.
As Indian planes fell and their missiles misfired, Pakistan’s diplomats took center stage across global media. They calmly dismantled India’s narrative, laid out the facts, and reminded the world that Pakistan was not the aggressor—it was the victim of unprovoked hostility. The moral high ground remained firmly with Pakistan.
International media took notice. Major outlets condemned India’s recklessness. Analysts questioned its motives and highlighted the emptiness of its justifications. The myth of Indian military invincibility crumbled—not merely through brute force, but through a united, truth-speaking nation backed by ethics, professionalism, and courage.
And so, on May 16, 2025, the nation celebrates—not with arrogance, but with humility. We do not rejoice in destruction, but in the defense of our honor. We do not glorify war—we honor the peace that was preserved through sacrifice. We do not boast—we give thanks.
We thank Allah Almighty, whose unseen help turned fear into courage, division into strength, and defense into victory. And we thank our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), whose eternal guidance, blessings, and spiritual support inspire courage, discipline, and justice in every Muslim heart. We thank our mothers, fathers, and children. We thank our scientists and engineers. We thank our pilots, soldiers, cyber warriors, and strategists. We thank our friends and allies—and above all, we thank the people of Pakistan.
Across the country, prayers will be offered. Seminars will be held. Lessons from this victory will be taught in schools and remembered in homes—not as a tale of conquest, but as a story of resolve, righteousness, and resilience.
We reaffirm that Pakistan is not an aggressor. We have never invaded another nation, nor will we ever provoke war. We believe in peaceful coexistence, regional stability, and mutual respect. But when our sovereignty, dignity, or survival is threatened, the world now knows what we are capable of.
We do not fight for conquest—we fight for our right to exist. And when we fight with unity, faith and discipline, even the mightiest aggressor will stumble.
So today, we stand proud—but humble. Victorious—but peaceful. Thankful—but prepared.
May Allah continue to guide and protect our nation, and may the blessings and example of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) continue to illuminate our path.

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Historic Ties and Academic Excellence Highlighted in Dr. Aliya Rehman’s Visit to Islamia College

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Principal MAO College Lahore Prof Dr Aliya Rehman Sahiba visited Govt Islamia Graduate College Civil Lines Lahore (21-5-2025). She appreciated the sports achievements and Maps designed and displayed by Prof Riaz Barki and Dr Jabbar sahib of the Geography Department.

She expressed her deep interest in the history of Punjab. Knowing about Great freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and Samadhis of the female family members of Maharaja Ranjit Singh she was surprised and asked so many queries about the historical aspects of this College. Dr Akhtar Sandhu presented book and the College magazine Faran to Dr Aliya Rehman.

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