A major of the Pakistan Army was martyred and seven terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the military’s media wing said on Thursday.

The development comes a day after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that 11 security personnel, including a lieutenant colonel and a major, were martyred in an exchange of fire between the forces and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists in KP’s Orakzai district.

According to the ISPR’s statement issued today, security forces carried out the IBO on Wednesday on the reported presence of “khwarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khwarij” in the Daraban area of DI Khan.

Fitna al Khwarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned TTP.

During the operation, the ISPR said, seven “Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell” due to effective engagement by security forces’ troops.

However, during the intense exchange of fire, 30-year-old Major Sibtain Haider, a resident of the Quetta district, embraced martyrdom. “A brave officer who was leading his troops from the front, having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat.”

The ISPR said weapons and ammunition were found in the custody of the slain terrorists, who had been “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against the security forces and law enforcement agencies, as well as [the] killing of innocent civilians”.

A sanitisation operation was being carried out to “eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji found in the area”, the ISPR statement said.

It added that the “security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of Indian-sponsored terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave sons further strengthen our resolve”.

President Asif Ali Zardari lauded the security forces’ successful operation in Daraban, DI Khan and paid rich tribute to Major Sibtain Haider for his “valour and sacrifice, saying the nation’s resolve to end terrorism remains unshakable”, a statement posted on the presidency’s X account said.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also paid tribute to martyred Major Sibtain Haider, according to a statement posted by his ministry on X.

State-run APP reported that KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also lauded security forces for the successful operation and paid them rich tribute for their “courage and professionalism in eliminating terrorists who pose a threat to peace and stability in the region”.

Expressing grief over the martyrdom of Major Sibtain Haider, he extended condolences to his family and prayed for the “elevation of his ranks in Jannah”.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks, especially in KP and Balochistan, predominantly targeting the police, law enforcement agencies’ personnel, and security forces. Attacks increased after the banned TTP broke a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022.

Subsequently, amid rising terror attacks, the government labelled the group as Fitna al Khwarij and directed the use of the term khariji for attackers.

Islamabad has also raised concerns over the presence of TTP terrorists in Afghanistan, maintaining that they have been involved in attacks inside Pakistan. It has repeatedly urged Kabul to take action to prevent these attacks.

Pakistan has also accused India of sponsoring cross-border terrorism. In May, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna al Hindu­stan — a phrase aimed at framing India’s alleged role in terrorism as a deliberate destabilisation strategy, potentially to galvanise domestic support.

After Tuesday’s IBO in Orakzai, a statement from the ISPR said the participants at the 272nd Corps Commanders’ Conference held at General Headquarters expressed their resolve to pursue “comprehensive counterterrorism operations across all domains to continue to dismantle the networks of “Indian-sponsored terror proxies” such as the Fitna al Khwarij and Fitna al Hindustan.

Last month, after 19 soldiers were martyred in KP in multiple incidents, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said that the “Afghan interim government has been clearly told to choose between supporting the khwarij or stand with Pakistan”.