PNN: Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has strongly criticised India and its state institutions, including the Army, for being driven by extremist political ideologies and Hindutva nationalism.
In an interview with a German news outlet on September 5, the ISPR chief underscored the enduring conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, noting that despite the ceasefire, core disputes remain unresolved.
“Whether it’s the Kashmir issue, state-sponsored terrorism by India, or the rise of Hindutva extremism — these conflicts endure,” he said, calling on global powers, particularly the United States, to intervene and mediate between the two sides. “This irrationality, strategic arrogance, and hubristic attitude will not work,” he warned.
DG ISPR asserted that Pakistan is facing not an insurgency but “outright terrorism” orchestrated with Indian support. “Behind every terror incident in Pakistan, there is Indian abetment,” he said, adding that Islamabad had submitted at least six dossiers from 2009 to 2023 to the international community, documenting India’s involvement.
He revealed that Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies had carried out nearly 47,900 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) this year, eliminating 1,016 terrorists while losing 762 lives, including around 300 civilians. “Such sustained terrorism cannot continue without external support and a base of operations,” he maintained, pointing to Afghanistan as India’s primary base for sponsoring militant groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Explaining why Western powers have not publicly backed Pakistan’s position, DG ISPR said India’s extensive “information and disinformation machinery” has overshadowed Islamabad’s narrative. He urged the West to acknowledge India as a “terror-sponsoring state” instead of viewing it solely as a “net security provider.”
Addressing Indian allegations that Pakistan sponsors terrorism, he dismissed them as “a classic disinformation tactic.” Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif emphasised that Pakistan has never supported groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) or Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), adding: “The state of Pakistan has never had a policy of sponsoring terrorism anywhere.”
He reiterated that Pakistan does not differentiate among militant groups based on religion. “A terrorist has no religion — there is no Muslim, Hindu, or Christian terrorist,” he said, stressing that there is no space for private militias or non-state actors in Pakistan.
The ISPR chief also highlighted Pakistan’s sacrifices in the decades-long fight against terrorism, recalling its role as a frontline state during the Afghan war against the Soviets and the subsequent toll of militancy on Pakistani society, economy, and lives.