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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces carried out an intelligence-based operation in the country’s northwest, the military said on Saturday, killing 17 Pakistani Taliban who had established a presence in the area.

The country’s tribal districts in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been prone to militant violence by members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of insurgent factions.

The TTP, which the Pakistani state refers to as “Fitna al Khwaraj,” a term from Islamic history denoting a violent rebel group, has been blamed for hundreds of attacks in the region.

Islamabad accuses the group’s leadership of operating from Afghanistan with support from India, charges both Kabul and New Delhi deny.

“On night 26/27 September 2025, Security Forces conducted an intelligence based operation in Lakki Marwat District, on reported presence of khwarij belonging to Indian Proxy, Fitna al Khwarij,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. “During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the khwarij location and resultantly, seventeen Indian sponsored khwarij were sent to hell.”

The military said weapons and ammunition were recovered from the fighters, who it added were involved in numerous attacks against security forces, law enforcement agencies and civilians.

A “sanitization operation” was continuing in the area to deal with any of their accomplices, it continued.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces, according to a statement circulated by his office, saying the militants’ “nefarious designs were foiled due to the professionalism and timely action of our forces.”

“The government and security forces are determined to eradicate terrorism completely … the scourge of terrorism will soon be uprooted,” he was quoted as saying.

Lakki Marwat has suffered attacks ranging from drive-by shootings at police checkpoints to major bombings in the past.

While the district does not directly border Afghanistan, it lies within reach of the porous frontier belt where militant groups often operate.

The area is also close to Bannu, where earlier this month militants attacked a paramilitary base with a suicide car bomb, triggering a 12-hour clash that killed six security personnel, six militants, and left 19 others wounded.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Foreign Office has denied that researcher Dr. Shama Junejo is part of the country’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that is currently led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after she was seen sitting behind Defense Minister Khawaja Asif during a Security Council debate this week.

Junejo, a researcher based in London, has previously drawn criticism for her social media posts in support of Israel. A video clip showing Junejo sitting behind Defense Minister Asif at the UNSC on Sept. 25 has gone viral and since caused uproar in Pakistan.

On Friday, Asif said he did not know the woman sitting behind him in the video and it was entirely the prerogative of the Foreign Office to choose analysts and researchers for the Pakistani delegation. The minister said his views on Gaza and Israel have always been clear and only the Foreign Office could answer queries about the said woman.

“To clarify, the individual in question was not listed in the official letter of credence for the Pakistan delegation to the 80th UNGA Session, signed by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister,” the Pakistani Foreign Office said on Saturday, responding to queries.

“As such, her seating behind the Defense Minister did not have the approval of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister.”

Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has steadfastly supported an independent Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders. PM Sharif also resonated Islamabad’s stance in his address with the UNGA on Friday.

“My emotional attachment and commitment to Palestine spans 60 years,” Defense Minister Asif wrote on X. “My views on Gaza are clear, and I express them openly. My thoughts on Israel and Zionism are nothing but hatred. Who this woman is, why she was with us in the delegation, and why she was seated behind me — only the Foreign Office can answer.”

In a now-deleted Sept. 21 post on X, Junejo, who has been criticized by many Pakistanis for her support of Israel, claimed that she has been working as an adviser to PM Sharif since May 2025. The researcher has also been photographed in the past with PM Sharif, his elder brother and three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Defense Minister Asif.

In an August 2022 post on X, then Twitter, she said meeting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu “would have been an honor” and that she would have used a photo with him as her profile picture. She has also previously praised Israeli technology, including drip irrigation, suggesting it could benefit Sindh and southern Punjab.

But the researcher said she joined others in leaving the UN General Assembly during Netanyahu’s speech on Friday. “We walked out from UNGA when the war criminal Netanyahu entered,” Junejo said on X.

Asad Qaiser, a former speaker of the lower house of Pakistan parliament, said the defense minister and the Foreign Office were “lying,” asking who allowed Junejo to reportedly travel in a Pakistani plane from London to New York, who allowed her an official Pakistani government seat behind Asif at the UNSC, and who prepared her passes that enabled her to regularly attend UN sessions.

“These questions are extremely important,” Qaiser said. “Most importantly she has been meeting Israeli diplomats and is known for her support to recognize Israel.”

“This is an extremely grave situation that the PM himself must explain,” he added.