ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces have killed 54 militants, backed by “foreign masters,” who were attempting to infiltrate the country’s border with Afghanistan in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Sunday, amid heightened tensions with India.
The Pakistani military said intelligence reports indicated that the group of ‘Fitna al Khwarij,’ a term used by Islamabad to describe Pakistani Taliban militants, was specifically infiltrating at the behest of their “foreign masters” to undertake “high-profile terrorist activities inside Pakistan.” The ISPR statement was a reference to India and came at a time of soaring tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi over a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists this week.
New Delhi blamed the April 22 attack on Pakistan, an allegation denied by Islamabad. Both nations have since unleashed a raft of measures against each other, with Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines and India suspending the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty that regulates water-sharing from the Indus River and its tributaries.
This is the highest ever number of Pakistani Taliban militants killed in a single engagement and the Pakistani security forces prevented a “potential catastrophe” by demonstrating exceptional vigilance and preparedness, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing. Pakistani forces also seized a sizeable cache of weapons, ammunition and explosives from the site of the encounter in the North Waziristan district.
“Such actions by Fitna al Khwarij (FAK), at a time when India is leveling baseless accusations against Pakistan, clearly implies on whose cues FAK is operating,” it said.
“The recent [meeting of] NSC (National Security Committee) also underscored the fact that distracting Pakistan’s security forces from their focus on the war against terror seems to be the strategic intent of India to allow a breathing space to FAK which is reeling from the onslaught of our Armed Forces resolute offensive against them.”
There was no immediate response to the Pakistani military’s statement by New Delhi.
Pakistan has struggled to contain surging militancy in KP in recent years, where the Pakistani Taliban have mounted their attacks against security forces and police since their fragile, months-long truce with Islamabad broke down in late 2022. Islamabad has variously accused Afghanistan and India of supporting the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups, an allegation denied by Kabul and New Delhi.
Pakistan says the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, which is a separate group but seen by Islamabad as an ally of the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. Kabul denies the allegations and insists Pakistan’s security is an internal matter of Islamabad.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the Pakistani security forces for their timely action and professionalism in preventing the militants from entering the country.
“These successful operations indicate that Pakistan is winning the war on terror and achieving significant successes against terrorists,” he said.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani top leaders have reached out to senior government officials in China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt this week as tensions with New Delhi have sharply escalated over a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. 

Relations between the neighbors have plunged to their lowest level for years, at least since 2019, as Delhi accused Islamabad of involvement in the latest attack in a scenic tourist area of Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday in which 26 tourists were killed. Pakistan has denied involvement and says it is ready to take part in a credible and transparent investigation. 

Both sides have announced a flurry of punitive measures to downgrade ties, with India suspending a key water-sharing treaty and Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian planes. There are also mounting fears of India carrying out limited airstrikes or special forces raids close to the border with Pakistan, which would push the nuclear-armed rivals closer toward an all-out war. 

Against this background, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Foreign Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar on Saturday engaged with his counterparts from Egypt, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia to rally diplomatic support. 

“DPM/FM briefed FM Wang Yi on the current regional situation,” a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry said after Dar spoke to his Chinese counterpart. “He categorically rejected India’s unilateral and illegal actions, as well as its baseless propaganda against Pakistan.”

The statement said both diplomats reiterated their resolve to uphold regional peace and stability, promote mutual respect, and jointly oppose “unilateralism and hegemonic policies.” 

“They agreed to maintain close communication and coordination at all levels to advance their shared objectives of peace, security, and sustainable development in the region and beyond,” the foreign office said. 

Dar had similar conversations with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye on Saturday. 

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday, saying he would welcome any efforts by Tehran to promote peace between Islamabad and New Delhi. 

According to the latest report in The New York Times, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached out to over a dozen world leaders while diplomats from 100 missions in New Delhi have been called for briefings. 

However, the report said India is not rallying the international community for help to de-escalate tensions with Pakistan. 

“Instead, according to four diplomatic officials aware of the discussions, New Delhi appears to be building a case for military action against its neighbor and archenemy,” the report said. 

After the Pahalgam attack, New Delhi suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan unilaterally, recalled defense staff, announced the closure of the main land Attari-Wagah border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew special visas for Pakistani nationals.

In response, Islamabad ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, canceled visas for Indian nationals, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims, and also announced it was closing the main border crossing from its side.

Pakistan has said any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River would be seen as an “act of war” and replied with the “full force of national power.”

According to international news agency AFP, troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire in disputed Kashmir for a third night in a row on Saturday.

Kashmir has been disputed between India and Pakistan since independence from British rule in 1947. Both rule it in part but claim it in full and have fought two wars over the Himalayan territory.