Pakistan faces significant security challenges along its 1,229-kilometre Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border, which includes 20 crossing points and long stretches where border posts are 20–25 kilometres apart. Divided villages and difficult terrain complicate monitoring, making the border a strategic focus for security forces.
Authorities have implemented a layered system of monitoring, committees, and surveillance, combining physical checkpoints with observation and drone coverage. Despite these efforts, the DG ISPR warned that governance gaps in Afghan border regions allow militant groups to operate, emphasising the need for cooperation and verifiable mechanisms with neighbouring authorities to reduce cross-border risks.
The border strategy also integrates community engagement and law enforcement, creating an intelligence network capable of detecting illegal activities, infiltration, and smuggling. Officials said these measures are gradually reducing militants’ operational space and improving the safety of border communities.
