RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s security forces have killed four ‘Indian sponsored’ terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in southwestern Balochistan province, the military’s media affairs wing said on Saturday.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on 26 December 2025, security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Panjgur District of Balochistan, on the reported presence of Khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij.
The state uses the term Fitna al Khwarij to refer to terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It has also designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.
“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,” the ISPR added.
It added that weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area.
Pakistan’s security forces are currently conducting sanitisation operations in the area to eliminate any other khwarij linked to foreign-sponsored terrorism.
This is part of the ongoing Counter-Terrorism campaign under the vision “Azm e Istehkam,” approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, ISPR said.
The campaign aims to eradicate the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from Pakistan, with security forces and law enforcement agencies committed to continuing their efforts at full pace.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in cross-border terror incidents since Taliban rulers returned to Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces.
Pakistan said the Afghan Taliban regime’s continued support for terrorist groups had enabled them to carry out attacks against the Pakistan military and civilian population along the Pak-Afghan border and in adjoining areas.
In early 2025, operations were intensified across central Balochistan, following a rise in attacks targeting infrastructure and security patrols.
Officials say several operations during the first quarter of the year led to arrests and recoveries of arms linked to banned outfits.
In March, Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 percent as compared to the previous year.
In October, the Islamabad-based think tank Centre for Research and Security Studies said that violence had surged in the third quarter of 2025 due to a spike in terrorist attacks and intensified counter-terrorism operations.
