The Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad hosted a high-level seminar that drew senior military officials, strategic analysts, policymakers and academics to examine the persistence of terrorism in Pakistan and the road ahead for Pakistan counterterrorism efforts.
Attaullah Tarar reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to eradicating terrorism in all its forms, praising the armed forces for their sacrifices and describing Pakistan as a bulwark in the global fight against extremism. He warned of external support to militant networks from across the frontier and stressed that cohesive, nationwide implementation of the National Action Plan remains essential to secure lasting peace.
Ambassador Jauhar Saleem highlighted that hundreds of attacks this year point to a serious and continuing threat, which he attributed largely to external proxies and the Taliban’s failure to meet counterterrorism commitments. He said Pakistan was pursuing active diplomacy alongside kinetic measures, expressing cautious optimism after the Doha ceasefire and ahead of the Istanbul dialogue while urging Afghanistan to choose cooperative relations with Pakistan over becoming susceptible to external designs.
Lt Gen Khalid Rabbani (Retd.) warned that counterterrorism and counterinsurgency success requires a whole-of-nation approach and cannot be achieved by security forces alone. He emphasised the mutual security interdependence of Pakistan and Afghanistan and called for sustained political consensus and societal resilience to complement military operations.
Maj Gen (Retd.) Inam Ul Haq flagged a sharp rise in cross-border incidents, reporting 585 Afghan-backed attacks up to October 2025 compared with 521 in 2024 and 306 in 2023. He described a series of unprovoked attacks between October 11 and 15 in which IEA forces, aided by TTP and other militants, struck along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, indicating what he characterised as active collusion between Taliban elements and anti-Pakistan networks.
Dr Muhammad Feyyaz observed that terrorism remains under-studied domestically, with limited appreciation of its long-term societal and state impacts. He urged development of robust academic research on the persistence of terrorism and stronger linkages between scholars and policymakers to inform more effective responses.
Mr Abdul Basit of RSIS Singapore underscored that regional geopolitics, ideological drivers and governance deficits in Afghanistan sustain extremist threats. He called for a revamp of Pakistan’s counterterrorism framework, noting that non-kinetic responses currently lag and advocating a balanced strategy that combines kinetic measures with political, economic and ideological instruments to counter evolving multidimensional threats.
Speakers collectively pressed for accelerated implementation of the National Action Plan, reinforced diplomatic engagement and a unified national strategy. The seminar reinforced that Pakistan counterterrorism success hinges on integrated policy, sustained operations and coordinated regional cooperation to restore stability and protect citizens.
