Four soldiers were martyred as security forces killed 12 terrorists linked to “Indian proxy groups” in operations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the military’s media wing said.

According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Thursday night, seven terrorists were killed in operations in the North Waziristan and Chitral districts.

In North Waziristan, “Indian-sponsored khawarij attempted to attack a security forces’ check post in general area Shawal,” the ISPR said, using the state-designated term for terrorists. “The attempt was effectively thwarted by own troops and in [the] ensuing fire exchange, six Indian-sponsored khawarij were sent to hell.

“However, during intense fire exchange, Lieutenant Daniyal Ismail (age: 24 years, resident of District Mardan), a brave young officer who was leading his troops from [the] front, fought gallantly and embraced shahadat (martyrdom) along with his three men,” the ISPR said.

The three other soldiers martyred in the operation were 42-year-old Naib Subedar Kashif Raza from Chakwal district, 35-year-old Lance Naik Fiaqat Ali from Haripur district and 26-year-old Sepoy Muhammad Hameed from Abbottabad district.

In the second encounter in Chitral District, security forces successfully neutralised one “Indian-sponsored kharji”.

Earlier, security forces killed five terrorists linked to “Indian proxy Fitna al Hindustan” in two separate operations in Balochistan, the military’s media wing said.

According to a statement issued by ISPR this evening, one of the two engagements was an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Loralai district.

“During the … operation, [our] own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian-sponsored terrorists were successfully neutralised,” the ISPR said, adding that weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered.

According to the ISPR, the dead terrorists were involved in numerous terrorist activities, including attacks on the N-70 highway near Rarasham on August 26, 2024, and February 18, 2025, that resulted in the deaths of 30 people.

“The killed Indian-sponsored terrorists were highly wanted by law enforcement agencies, and were relentlessly pursued by the security forces,” the statement added.

In the second engagement in Kech District, one more terrorist was “sent to hell”.

“[The] Security forces of Pakistan are determined to eliminate the menace [of] Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country and reaffirm the nation’s unwavering resolve to bring the perpetrators of terrorism and their facilitators to justice,” the ISPR statement concluded.

President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement from his office paying tribute to security forces for the two operations, reiterating his resolve to eradicate Fitna al Hindustan.

“Security forces are taking action to eradicate the menace of terrorism and the nation stands united,” he was quoted as saying. “Operations against Fitna al Hindustan will continue until terrorism is completely eradicated.”

Last month, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry accused India of activating its “assets” to inte­nsify terrorist attacks in Pakistan, presenting “irr­e­futable evidence” of Ind­ian state-sponsored terrorism, directed by the Ind­ian military personnel.

“Post-Pahalgam, because of the designs of terrorism that they have, they tasked all their assets, the terrorists operating in Balochistan, and we have credible intelligence for that, the Fitna al Khawarij and the independent terrorist cells … to increase their activity,” he had said, using the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.

A significant improvement was seen in Pakistan’s internal security landscape in April 2025, “as both militant attacks and resultant casualties dropped sharply compared to March”, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081.

Additional reporting by Nadir Guramani