Balochistan | Pakistan

Punjab and Balochistan close schools

The governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan announced fuel-saving measures on Monday, including the closure of educational institutions and a reduction in fuel allowances for official vehicles. The decisions to implement these measures come amid the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran. KP govt’s decisions The KP government decided to implement the measures for a period of two months, cutting the allowance for official vehicles by 25 per cent. According to an official handout, the provincial cabinet met and approved the “Fuel Conservation and Responsible Governance Initiative”. The statement quoted Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan as saying that the fuel conservation measures would be implemented for two months on the instructions of KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. He said it was decided that the provincial government would continue to monitor the situation to see if the measures could be extended. According to Jan, t...

Authorities in Balochistan have announced the temporary shutdown of all educational institutions across the province due to the current security environment.

Security forces killed 15 militants during two separate intelligence-based operations in Balochistan on March 5, the military’s media wing said on Saturday.

The return of Pakistani nationals from Iran continued for the sixth consecutive day, with hundreds entering the country through border crossings in Balochistan.

Tahir Ashrafi, Chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, has expressed satisfaction over the prevailing security conditions in Balochistan, asserting that safeguarding national interests and public protection remains the state’s foremost priority.

ISLAMABAD - The Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sarfaraz Bugti, visited the residence of the Deputy Chairman Senate, Syedal Khan Nasar, to offer his heartfelt condolences on the demise of the wife of his elder brother.

The military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday that 10 terrorists were killed by security forces during an operation in Balochistan’s Zhob. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that after an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Zhob on February 24, in which eight Indian-sponsored terrorists were killed, security forces conducted a comprehensive sanitisation operation on Wednesday to hunt down “hiding khwarij” belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khwarij. Fitna al Khwarij is a term that the state has designated for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. “During the conduct of the operation, own forces tracked down Khwarij on multiple routes and effectively engaged their locations. After an ensuing fire exchange, ten Indian-sponsored khwarij were sent to hell,” the statement said. It added that weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, who were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted ...

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday that a total of 34 terrorists were killed in separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said that over the last few days, security forces had conducted a series of “high tempo, intelligence-driven operations” aimed at eliminating Indian proxies Fitna Al Khwarij and Fitna Al Hindustan. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) while Fitna al Hindustan is a term designated by the state for terrorist organisations in Balo­chistan. The statement said that on Feb 24, 26 terrorists belonging to Fitna Al Khwarij were killed in four separate engagements in KP, while eight terrorists belonging to Fitna Al Hindustan were killed in an operation in Balochistan’s Sambaza. Giving a breakdown, ISPR said that the movement of a group of terrorists trying to infiltrate through the Pak-Afghan border was picked up by security forces in ...

Security forces killed nine terrorists, including a suicide bomber, during intelligence-based operations (IBO) in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to statements issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday. According to the military’s media affairs wing, an IBO in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan was conducted on Monday, on the “reported presence of khawarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna-al-Khawarij”. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term that the state has designated for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban. The ISPR said that security personnel “effectively engaged the khawarij location” during the operation, and after an intense exchange of fire, four terrorists were killed. It added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from “Indian-sponsored killed khawarij, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”. Earlier in the day, ISPR shared the details of the IBO in Balochistan’s Pishin in a separate statement. It said security forces had killed five terrorists, including ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday paid tribute to Pakistan’s security forces for eliminating four Indian-backed terrorists in an operation carried out in Pishin district of Balochistan.

Security forces have killed five Indian-sponsored terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Pishin district of Balochistan, the military’s media wing said on Monday.

Tremors were felt across several districts of Sindh and Balochistan on Friday after a moderate earthquake struck the region, causing panic among residents but no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake was recorded 86 kilometres northeast of Balochistan’s Khuzdar on Friday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). According to PMD’s National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the earthquake struck at 6:30am at a depth of 13 km, 86km northeast of Khuzdar. It was preceded by another earthquake — magnitude 3.8 — that struck 75km southeast of Khuzdar at 5:52am at a depth of 33km. Tremors were felt in several districts of Sindh as well, APP reported, including Sukkur, Qambar, Shahdadkot, and Dadu, while Jhal Magsi, Jaffarabad and Nasirabad in Balochistan reported tremors as well. Last month, an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 jolted parts of Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan, Peshawar and adjacent areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. A 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of the country in January. Tremors were felt in Islamabad and parts of KP. Pakistan falls on three major tectonic plates — the Arabian, Euro-Asian and Indian — which create five seismic zones under the country. The ...

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti addressed the issue of terrorism in the province on Wednesday, asserting that no one was allowed to take up arms and kill innocent people. He made this statement while addressing the Balochistan Assembly, around 10 days after a spate of attacks on January 31 brought parts of the restive province to a standstill for several days. Security forces responded to the attacks by killing a total of 216 terrorists during “Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1”. Speaking about terrorism today, Bugti said there was, unfortunately, “confusion” on the issue in Pakistan. He linked this “confusion” to the use of “propaganda”, which he said was used to create distance between the state and the youth of Balochistan. Moreover, he claimed, “a forced narrative has been created against Pakistan that is purely based on perceptions and devoid of reality”. The minister decried that terrorism in Balochistan was linked to the lack of development in the province, adding that the problem of “unparalleled dev...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced a Rs10 billion allocation for the Frontier Corps (FC) to strengthen the force’s capacity-building and bolster security in Balochistan. Addressing FC headquarters during her visit to Balochistan on Tuesday, she paid tribute to those serving in Balochistan under difficult and dangerous circumstances. In her speech, which was aired on Wednesday, Maryam shared that she found out a few months ago that the FC required Rs10 billion for “capacity building”. “I was asked to contribute whatever Punjab could,” she stated. “I decided it was not a favour … it was a responsibility. I said we will provide them the entire Rs10bn.” The chief minister highlighted that the allocation aimed to enhance operational readiness and strengthen security efforts in Balochistan, particularly in light of recent threats and attacks. CM Maryam’s visit came in the wake of a spate of attacks across Balochistan on January 31, which brought parts of the restive province to a standstill for severa...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday paid a visit to Quetta, where she met with her Balochistan counterpart CM Sarfraz Bugti and assured him of her full support. CM Maryam’s visit comes in the wake of a spate of attacks across Balochistan on January 31, which brought parts of the restive province to a standstill for several days. Security forces had responded by killing a total of 216 terrorists during “Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1” in the province. “As the chief minister of Punjab, as a Pakistani and as your sister, all services and resources of Punjab, whatever cooperation or support you need — whether in operations against khawarij here or any kind of challenges in the government — we are with you,” Maryam said. She further assured Bugti, “Whatever kind of support you need, I am just a call away. I will be very glad if I can assist you or do something for the people of Balochistan.” Noting that this was her first visit to another province after assuming the office of Punjab CM in February 2024, Marya...

• PM aide’s contention that ‘innocents may get caught up’ in the wake of action following terror attacks prompts heckling, walkout • Dr Malik, Akhtar Mengal stress need for political, not military-based solutions LAHORE: At a charged discussion about the situation in Balochistan, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah ignited controversy when he implied that innocent civilians were bound to get caught up in the fallout of attacks such as the ones witnessed across the province on Jan 31. The PM’s aide was speaking during a session, titled ‘Is There a Political Will to Solve the Crisis in Balochistan’, at the Asma Jahangir Conference on Sunday. The minister was part of a distinguished panel, which also incl­uded BNP-Mengal chief Akhtar Mengal and National Party leader Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, and was moderated by Mujahid Barelvi. PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah at the Asma Jahangir Conference on Sunday. The controversy reared its head when Mr Sanaullah was responding to points raised by the other speaker regarding the treatment...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast rain, wind, and thunderstorms, along with snowfall over hilly areas, across Balochistan and the upper parts of the country from the night of February 08 to February 10, as a westerly wave is expected to enter western regions and move northward.

The United States on Friday expressed solidarity with Pakistan following recent militant attacks in Balochistan, reiterating its support for efforts to bring those responsible to justice. In a post on X, the US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) said it stood “steadfast with Pakistan” in the wake of the attacks, which it described as “horrific”. The bureau noted that the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) remains a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO). In August last year, the US State Department added the BLA and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, to its FTO list, according to a press release. FTO designations are made by the secretary of state, following section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and “are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business”. “We support efforts to hold the perpetrators of these horrific attacks accountable,” the SCA added. Earlier on Thursday, securi...