Balochistan | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Wednesday emphasized that addressing Balochistan’s challenges remains a top priority for Parliament.

The provincial governments of Punjab and Balochistan have issued the official schedule for winter vacations in all public and private educational institutions.

A severe cold wave continues to grip Quetta and several other regions of Balochistan, with temperatures dropping sharply across the province.

ISLAMABAD - Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti on Wednesday categorically dismissed the circulating rumours regarding the replacement of the Chief Minister of Balochistan, terming them baseless and unfounded.

The Jaffar Express, which has been targeted multiple times in the recent past, escaped a bomb attack in Balochistan’s Nasirabad district on Sunday, police and railway officials said. According to police officials, unidentified attackers had planted an explosive device on the railway track in the Shaheed Abdul Aziz Bullo area to target the Peshawar-bound train that was travelling from Quetta and later detonated it. However, the train passed the area safely, and no loss of life was reported, the officials said. Nasirabad Senior Superintendent of Police Ghulam Sarwar told Dawn that police and other security forces had reached the site soon after the blast, cordoned off the area and initiated an investigation. “A search operation has also been launched to trace the elements involved in the bomb attack,” he said. Separately, railway officials told Dawn a portion of the track was damaged due to the blast, as a result of which railway traffic between Quetta and the rest of the country was suspended. Meanwhile, the o...

Police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday foiled a migrant smuggling attempt in Balochistan’s Turbat district in a joint operation, while detaining 29 foreign nationals for attempting to cross the border illegally, officials said. Migrant smuggling, which has grown more frequent and dangerous in Pakistan in the last few years, assists a person to enter or stay in a country without having the legal permission to do so. The trend impacts both the country’s reputation and the lives of those caught in it. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kech Captain Zohaib Mohsin told Dawn that the operation was carried out in the outskirts of Turbat, where a Land Cruiser was intercepted with dozens of people on board. “The arrested persons include 12 men, 13 children and 4 women,” the SSP said. “Two drivers have also been arrested who were allegedly involved in taking these people to Iran through illegal routes.” SSP Mohsin said initial investigations have revealed that the Afghan nationals were planning ...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif sidestepped answering a question on whether Pakistan had conducted a test of a hypersonic ballistic missile, saying such matters should not be asked about publicly. “Now don’t ask all these questions. Ask such things in private,” he said while responding in an interview on Samaa TV show ‘Mere Sawal’ on Friday, when asked to confirm whether Pakistan had conducted the missile test or not. The question came in the wake of a “rare lenticular cloud formation” observed over Quetta in the early hours of Tuesday that left the public puzzled over the phenomenon and its origins. Citizens had reported sighting the phenomenon around morning prayers from many parts of Balochistan and speculation was rife about the likely cause. Many social media accounts hinted that the cloud formation was the result of a missile test or a new technology tested by the military. In a post on X later in the day, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said the sight was a “lenticular cloud formation” which was o...

Security forces have killed eighteen terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy outfit Fitna al Hindustan in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) conducted on October 28 and 29 in Balochistan, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

At least 13 people, including two police officials, were injured as two separate attacks were reported in Balochistan on Wednesday, according to local officials. A grenade attack on a police mobile was reported along the national highway in the province’s Dera Murad Jamali area, which injured 13 people, including 2 officers. According to police officials, unknown suspects attacked the vehicle while it was patrolling along the highway. Immediately after the attack, police and law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and started an investigation into the incident, while security in the area was tightened. Civil Hospital Dera Murad Jamali Medical Superintendent Dr Naseer Ahmed Imrani confirmed that 13 people, including two policemen, were injured in the attack and transported to the facility. “A woman and two children are also among the injured, who are being provided medical assistance,” Imrani said. “The police have started investigating the incident.” Meanwhile, Nasirabad Senior Superintendent of Police...

ISLAMABAD - After complaints by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi regarding bul-letproof vehicles provided by the federal government, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Wednesday that the vehicles in question would be sent to Balochistan instead.

Security forces conducted a successful counter-terrorism operation in Dalbandin, Balochistan, eliminating six terrorists linked to an Indian-backed outfit known as Fitna Al-Hindustan.

After complaints by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi regarding bulletproof vehicles provided by the federal government, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Wednesday that the vehicles in question would be sent to Balochistan instead. On Monday, Afridi had blamed the “flawed policy” of the federal government for the resurgence of terrorism being witnessed in the province. He further claimed that the federal government was neither giving KP funds allocated under the country’s ongoing war against terrorism, nor “other constitutional rights”. He had also alleged that the bulletproof cars provided by Naqvi were “defective and old”, adding that they should be recalled. Late on Tuesday, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had commented on the claims and said that like KP, his province was also affected by terrorism. “It is an appeal to the interior minister that if the KP government is refusing to take the bulletproof vehicles, they should be transferred to the Balochistan government so that t...

The National Party (NP) central leader and MPA Rehmat Saleh Baloch’s brother, Waleed Saleh Baloch, was killed in Balochistan’s Panjgur area on Sunday, according to statements by the party and the province’s chief minister. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the incident in a statement and ordered the immediate arrest of the suspects. “All resources will be used to provide justice to the affected family,” the CM said, according to a statement issued by his office. According to the statement, the CM had sought a report from police regarding the incident. Dawn.com has reached out to the police for further details. Meanwhile, the NP also strongly condemned the incident in a statement, adding that the party would observe three days of mourning. It added that at the time of the incident, Waleed was celebrating his wedding. It said that the incident was not only “the murder of an ordinary citizen but also the murder of a person belonging to a dignified and political family who has always believed in ...

Security forces repulsed an attack by the Afghan Taliban along the Balochistan border on Wednesday, killing around 15 to 20 Afghan Taliban, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. According to a statement by the ISPR, Afghan Taliban “resorted to cowardly attack[s] at four locations in [the] Spin Boldak area” in the early hours of Wednesday. “The attack was effectively repulsed by Pakistani forces,” the statement said. It added that as Pakistani troops repelled the attack, 15 to 20 Afghan Taliban were killed and several others were injured. “The situation is still developing. There are reports of further buildup at staging points of Fitna-al-Khwarij and [the] Afghan Taliban,” the statement said. Fitna-al-Khwarij is the state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The ISPR said that the attack from the Afghan side was “unfortunately […] orchestrated through divided villages in the area, with no regard for [the] civil population”. “The Afghan Taliban also destroyed the Pak-Afgh...

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Tuesday dismissed the presence of an insurgency in the province, blaming “India-backed so-called separatist movements” for the worsening security situation. In recent months, Balochistan has witnessed a rise in terrorist attacks. The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), in particular, has adopted new tactics to inflict higher casualties and directly target Pakistani security forces. Addressing participants of the 17th National Workshop in Quetta, the chief minister maintained that there was “no insurgency in Balochistan but so-called separatist movements” in the province. “The purpose of these anti-state elements is to harm and divide Pakistan,” he said. He added that the Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was behind the deterioration of the security situation in the province. “The Indian agency RAW has a clear role behind the deteriorating situation in Balochistan,” he said. “Separatists are pleased with India but want to harm Pakistan.” CM B...

A 5.0-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Quetta on Sunday evening, the government of Balochistan’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said. According to PDMA, the earthquake was recorded at 06:29pm, approximately 65 kilometres west of Quetta at the geographical coordinates of Latitude 30.19°N and Longitude 66.33°E, with a focal depth of 25 kilometres. The monitoring data were analysed through automatic seismic mode. Tremors of mild to moderate intensity were reportedly felt in Quetta and adjoining areas, it said in a statement. It said that the authority was in coordination with the district disaster management authorities to assess the situation. “As of now, no immediate reports of losses or damages have been received from any district. “The PEOC (Provincial Emergency Operations Centre) [of] PDMA Balochistan is in coordination with DDMAs (District Disaster Management Authorities) to assess the situation,” the authority said in a statement. “As of now, no immediate reports of losses or damages ...

Residents of the Korki area in Balochistan thwarted an attack by India-backed militants, reaffirming their resolve against hostile elements.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday lauded the security forces for eliminating more than 14 terrorists in Khuzdar district. Earlier, a statement issued on X by state broadcaster PTV News said security forces “foiled an attempt to harass peaceful people in the Zehri area” of the district and destroyed multiple terrorist hideouts during an operation while killing over 14 Fitna al-Hindustan members and injuring over 20. In May, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna al-Hindu­stan — a new phrase aimed at framing India’s alleged role in terrorism as a deliberate destabilisation strategy, potentially to galvanise domestic support. Congratulating the security forces, Naqvi hailed the operation as a “major success”, saying that the nation was “proud of the professional capabilities and courage of the security forces”. He further said: “Security forces are determined to eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorists in Balochistan. The people of Balochistan stand with the security ...

Light to moderate rain was likely in parts of Sindh and Balochistan on Saturday as cyclonic storm ‘Shakhti’ over the Arabian Sea had moved westward during the past 12 hours and further intensified into a “severe cyclonic storm”, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said. “It is likely to move west-southwestwards and reach northwest and adjoining central north Arabian Sea by Oct 5, then it will recurve and move east-northeastwards during subsequent 24 hours and weaken gradually,” a notification issued by the PMD said. It said that under the influence of the storm, wind/thunderstorm and light to moderate rain was likely today in Sindh’s Badin, Thatta, Sujawal and Jamshoro districts, and Balochistan’s Hub, Lasbela, Awaran and Kech districts, as well as at isolated places in Karachi Division. The notification stated that sea conditions were likely to remain “rough to very rough” with squally winds gusting 55 kilometres/hour near the Sindh coast. It also advised fishermen not to venture into the deep sea t...

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday commended the Security Forces for their successful operation in the Shirani district of Balochistan, which resulted in the elimination of seven Indian-sponsored terrorists.