RAWALPINDI: “Hostile forces” are bent on reversing progress in Pakistan’s former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), youth representatives from the strife-plagued region have been told.
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, met with members of a tribal youth jirga in Rawalpindi on Monday and offered congratulations on the tribal belt’s historic merger with the neighboring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
But the army chief also warned the youth representatives to “be aware of inimical forces who wish to exploit fault lines and try to reverse our gains.
“They shall never succeed,” he said.
Bajwa praised the youth assembly’s motivation and passion, and said that the tribal belt’s merger will bring peace and socioeconomic gains to the long-neglected area, ending its history as a extremist enclave.
“The state is determined to root out extremism and terrorism for which youth has a great role to play. Focus on your peaceful endeavors; participate in political and democratic activities. We have achieved peace at a high cost of blood and national expense, and we shall never let it go,” Bajwa said.
The army chief said that “achievements won through the sacrifices of the brave tribals” are being consolidated during the transition from relative stability to enduring peace.
He urged the youth to continue working toward peace and progress in Pakistan.
The youth jirga praised the Pakistan Army’s efforts and acknowledged Bajwa’s support for the tribal area.
‘Hostile forces’ out to reverse tribal gains, army chief warns
‘Hostile forces’ out to reverse tribal gains, army chief warns
- “Be aware of inimical forces who wish to exploit fault lines and try to reverse our gains. They shall never succeed,” says the Army chief
- “The state is determined to root out extremism and terrorism for which youth has a great role to play," he added
Pakistan says four militants killed in Balochistan operation near Iran border
- Military says those killed belonged to the Pakistani Taliban, a group mainly active in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Operation comes after October border clashes with Afghanistan that led Pakistan to shut crossings and tighten security
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said on Saturday it killed four militants during an intelligence-based operation in Panjgur district in southwestern Balochistan, near the border with Iran, accusing them of belonging to the Pakistani Taliban.
The group, also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and described as Fitna al Khwarij by Islamabad, has largely operated in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. Pakistan has frequently accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of sheltering TTP leaders and fighters, allegations Afghan officials deny.
Islamabad has also accused India of supporting militant activity in Pakistan’s western provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, though New Delhi has rejected the charge in the past.
“On 26 December 2025, security forces conducted an intelligence based operation in Panjgur District of Balochistan, on reported presence of Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.
“During the conduct of operation, own forces effectively engaged the Khwarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored Khwarij were sent to hell,” it added.
ISPR said weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the militants, whom it said had been involved in multiple attacks in the area. It added that follow-up search operations were under way to clear the area of any remaining fighters.
The operation comes amid heightened tensions along Pakistan’s northwestern frontier following fierce border clashes with Afghan forces in October, as a spike in violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prompted Pakistani officials to suspect cross-border militant activity originating from Afghanistan.
Dozens of people were killed on both sides during the clashes, with Pakistan shutting down major border crossings and stepping up security along its porous frontier.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has for years faced a separatist insurgency led by groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army, while TTP-linked attacks in the province have been less frequent but have occurred in the past.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for the operation in Panjgur, his office said in a statement.
“The prime minister paid tribute to the security forces for eliminating four Indian-backed terrorists,” it said, adding that Sharif vowed to “crush the nefarious designs of the enemies of humanity” and said the entire nation stood with the armed forces in the fight against militancy.
Sharif said Pakistan remained fully committed to the complete eradication of all forms of terrorism from the country, the statement added.
