DG ISPR Holds Marka-e-Haq Anniversary Presser; Confirms Op Ghazab lil-Haq Ongoing, Rejects Civilian Casualty Allegations

May 7, 2026 (Day 71 of Operation Ghazab lil-Haq): Pakistan's Director General Inter-Services Public Relations, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, held a high-profile press conference marking the first anniversary of Operation Marka-e-Haq — Pakistan's May 2025 military confrontation with India. Chaudhry was flanked by Rear Admiral Shifaat Ali Khan and Air Vice Marshal Tariq Mahmood Ghazi, signalling a joint-service deliberate messaging event. On the Afghanistan front, Chaudhry explicitly confirmed Operation Ghazab lil-Haq remains ongoing, stating: 'Ghazab lil-Haq's linkage is with the actions of the Afghan Taliban regime.' Pakistan's military categorically rejected the Afghan Taliban's civilian casualty allegations from the May 5 Dangam, Kunar strikes, reaffirming that all strikes remain 'focused, precise, and directed solely against infiltrators, terrorist hideouts, and support infrastructures.' Chaudhry also introduced a new framing linking the Af-Pak operation to the India-Pakistan strategic rivalry, claiming TTP and other militant groups attacking Pakistani soil are operationally enabled by 'India-sponsored terror' networks using Afghan territory as a base. This narrative — connecting Pakistan's anti-India posture with its anti-TTP campaign in Afghanistan — represents a significant escalation in Pakistan's diplomatic framing, apparently intended to marshal domestic support for the ongoing operation and pre-empt international criticism of civilian casualties. The joint-service presence and anniversary timing indicated a deliberate military signalling effort: Pakistan intends to maintain its operational tempo in Afghanistan as part of a broader national security posture, not merely a reactive counterterrorism campaign.