Balochistan | Pakistan

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Friday that deliberate attempts were being made to create a perception that the situation in Balochistan was deteriorating. He made this remark while addressing a press conference focused on the overall security situation in the country, particularly Balochistan. At the outset of the briefing, the military’s spokesperson said 40,348 intelligence-based operations had been conducted this year so far, adding that the figure covered operations carried out by all security forces, including police, civil armed forces, intelligence agencies and the armed forces. Of these operations, most were carried out in Balochistan, with the number exceeding 31,000, he said. The DG ISPR added that overall 3,145 terrorism incidents had taken place in the country in 2026, among which 1,971 were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,148 from Balochistan and 26 from other parts of the country. During this time, he continued, 2...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has met a delegation of traders and industrialists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan and assured them that the government would employ all available resources to resolve their issues and ensure their protection, the interior ministry said on Friday. In a statement on X, the ministry said representatives from all chambers of commerce spoke about the security situation in their respective provinces and the challenges they were facing. For his part, Naqvi briefed the delegation on the overall security situation in the country, particularly in KP and Balochistan, and the steps taken by the government in this regard, the statement added. “He assured the business community of complete cooperation,” it stated, further quoting Naqvi as saying: “The government will employ all available resources to resolve the issues of traders and industrialists and ensure their protection.” He further said that he would soon visit Peshawar and Quetta and hold detailed meetings with the busin...

QUETTA - A coal mine explosion killed at least 26 miners in Balochistan’s Sorange area, some 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of Quetta with dozens of people still missing on Thursday.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has commended the security forces for executing highly successful, intelligence-based operations against Indian-sponsored terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, neutralizing 32 militants and decisively thwarting their hostile designs.

Security forces have killed 32 terrorists during operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over the last 24 hours, the military’s media affairs wing said in a statement released on Wednesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said “comprehensive joint operations” were carried out in various parts of the two provinces, in continuation of action against the “terrorists nexus of India-sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan”. The state uses the term Fitna-al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and has designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. ISPR said that the operations in KP and Balochistan were aimed at weeding out terrorists and their facilitators. Multiple “intelligence-based area sanitisation and targeted operations” were conducted in KP’s Khyber on July 28 and 29, during which 24 terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij were killed, it said. Meanwhile, eight...

QUETTA: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai has convened a three-day jirga in Quetta to discuss the worsening security situation in Balochistan and find solutions to the issue. He said the issue was becoming increasingly serious and dangerous with each passing day. Speaking at a press conference at the Quetta Press Club on Tuesday, along with other party leaders, he said the jirga would be held from August 29 to 31. He also announced that countrywide protest rallies and demonstrations would be held on August 5 to mark three years of imprisonment of former prime minister Imran Khan. He said the proposed jirga would bring together political leaders, tribal elders and other stakeholders to deliberate on rising insecurity, attacks on highways, disruption of trade, burning of goods vehicles and the killing of judges, lawyers, political workers and civilians in the province. He added that after discussions, the jirga would prepare recom...

Security forces have so far killed 16 terrorists during the ongoing Operation Al-Azm in Balochistan, state media reported on Sunday, citing security forces. “Continuing intelligence-based operations under Operation Al-Azm against Fitna-al-Hindustan in Balochistan, security forces [have] killed 16 terrorists, destroyed multiple terrorist hideouts and recovered weapons and explosive materials,” state-run Pakistan TV reported. The government uses the term “Fitna al-Hindustan” for Balochistan-based groups to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. Operation Al-Azm was launched after a shooting on a Karachi-bound coach coming from Quetta claimed three lives and injured five others on Wednesday. It takes place as Balochistan continues to face security challenges, with the military saying on Wednesday that 10 terrorists had been killed and two suicide bombers and their facilitator had been apprehended during operations in Balochistan’s Mastung and Surab in a span of 48 hours....

Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir vows to dismantle terrorist infrastructure Says foreign-sponsored proxies have persistently sought to fuel violence, undermine stability, disrupt peace in Balochistan.

QUETTA/Islamabad - Terrorists ambushed a vehicle carrying a district judge in Balochistan province on Thursday, killing him and his security guard before fleeing the scene, police said.

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Thursday said the consistent efforts of the security forces and law enforcement agencies, backed by the steadfast support of the people, would bring lasting peace to Balochistan. Addressing participants of the 20th National Workshop Balochistan at the General Headquarters, he underscored that foreign-sponsored proxies had persistently sought to fuel violence, undermine stability and disrupt peace in Balochistan, according to a press release issued by Inter-Services Public Relations. “Their nefarious designs, however, will be defeated through the firm and decisive response of the armed forces, supported by the resilience and unity of the people of Pakistan,” he said. He reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering resolve to dismantle terrorist infrastructure wherever it posed a threat to the country and its people. He reaffirmed that targeted operations against Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan would continue with ...

Security forces have killed 10 terrorists and apprehended two female suicide bombers, along with their facilitator, during operations carried out in Balochistan’s Surab and Mastung districts over the past 48 hours, the military’s media affairs wing said in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), seven terrorists were killed in Surab while three in Mastung, where the two suicide bombers and their facilitator were also apprehended. The ISPR statement said that the operations in these two districts were in continuation of actions against the “terrorist nexus of India-sponsored Fitna-al-Hindustan and Fitna-al-Khawarij” in Balochistan to “weed out remnants of terrorists and their facilitators”. The state uses the term Fitna-al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and has designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. The ISPR said that as p...

QUETTA: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday reiterated the federal government’s resolve to address Balochistan’s economic and development-related concerns through the constitutional framework. He made these remarks during a meeting with a parliamentary delegation of the National Party (NP) headed by its president, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch. During the meeting, Dar emphasised that the federal government rem­ains committed to supporting Balochistan in tackling its diverse challenges and fulfilling the aspirations of its people for sustainable economic growth, progress, and prosperity. Dr Baloch appreciated the deputy prime minister’s engagement and affirmed that the National Party is prepared to cooperate with all stakeholders to promote the welfare and development of the people of Balochistan. He also stated that the insurgent groups active in the province do not enjoy public backing or legitimacy among the people of Balochistan. He briefed Dar on the political and security situation following the recent tra...

Agree to increase water supplies to Balochistan

QUETTA: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said dialogue is the only sustainable solution to Balochistan’s political issues, reaffirming that the party believes in meaningful political engagement with all parties, whether in government or in the opposition. Mr Bhutto-Zardari said lasting peace in Balochistan could only be achieved through political dialogue. “The PPP has always believed in constructive eng­agement with all political forces, regardless of whether they are in government or the opposition,” he said. The PPP chairman also reaffirmed the party’s unwavering stance against terrorism, stating that his party had maintained a clear and consistent position against terrorism and would continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the state institutions and the people in the fight against militancy. He made these remarks during a meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti at Zardari House in Islamabad on Saturday. CM Sarfraz Bugti says multiparty conference to be convened soon According to t...

Security forces on Thursday killed three more terrorists in Balochistan as Operation Shaban continued in the province, state-run Radio Pakistan reported, citing security sources. The latest casualties have taken the total tally of terrorists killed during the operation to 91. State media further reported that 129 terrorists had been killed in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations in the province since July 5. “Security sources say Operation Shaban will continue in Balochistan until the last terrorist is eliminated,” Radio Pakistan reported. The operation was launched after the martyrdom of 27 police personnel in an attack by terrorists at a police post in the Mangi dam area. Nine police personnel were killed on the spot, while 18 others were killed by the terrorists after being kidnapped. Troops from the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) and police are participating in the joint operation. Balochistan has been facing terrorism for a long time, with a monthly security assessment released by...

State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudhry on Wednesday said authorities were stepping up security around the Saindak copper and gold mine in Balochistan after supply routes were disrupted in the region by terrorists, and the mine’s operator denied a report that the project could be forced to shut down. The development comes as kinetic operations in the province are being carried out under Operation Shaban, a high-intensity counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaign launched by Pakistan’s security forces following multiple high-casualty and high-profile terrorist attacks in Balochistan. Chaudhry said Islamabad had received the mine operator’s security concerns in early July and ordered agencies to increase deployment around its installations, personnel and cargo. “We have directed the provincial authorities and all concerned security agencies to beef up deployment for all of their installations, personnel, logistics and transportation,” Chaudhry told Reuters. “It is our priority to safeguard all project...

Three more terrorists have been killed as security forces and law enforcers continue to carry out Operation Shaban in Balochistan jointly, state media reported on Wednesday, citing security sources. According to state-run Pakistan TV, the latest casualties have taken the total tally of terrorists killed during the operation to 88. It further reported that 126 terrorists had been killed in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations in the province since July 5. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi commended the security forces after the latest operations and said the ongoing campaign against terrorist elements was progressing successfully, according to state-run APP. Operation Shaban was launched in retaliation for a deadly attack on a police post at the Mangi Dam pumping station in Ziarat. During that assault, armed attackers kidnapped and killed 27 police officers. Troops from the army, Frontier Corps and police are participating in the joint operation. Latest updates reported by Pakistan TV said sec...

Another four terrorists have been killed during the ongoing Operation Shaban in Balochistan, following which the total number of terrorists killed in the operation has reached 83, state-owned Pakistan TV reported on Tuesday, citing security sources. The ongoing sweep was launched in retaliation for a deadly attack on a police post at the Mangi Dam pumping station in Ziarat. During that assault, armed attackers kidnapped and killed 27 police officers. Troops from the army, Frontier Corps, police and the Anti-Terrorism Force are participating in the joint operation. In a post on the social media platform X, the broadcaster said, “Security sources say four more khawarij terrorists were killed in ongoing air and ground operations, taking the total number of terrorists killed in Operation Shaban to 83.” “Since July 5, a total of 121 khawarij terrorists have been eliminated in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations,” it said, adding that the operation would continue “until the last terrorist is ne...

BALOCHISTAN bled again this past week — for the rest of the country. In reality, it is the part of the homeland that has rarely ever stopped bleeding over the past 20 years. But for those of us who live a long way from the province, we only become aware of the festering wound when the sepsis sets in. And that is what happened last week with the incidents in Quetta and Ziarat. The manner in which the events unfolded in Ziarat was heart-breaking and by the time the attack took place in Lasbela, the death toll was far too horrific to even comprehend. But there is a greater tragedy. And that is the inability of those in power to approach the crisis in Balochistan with any empathy and political will to heal. The causes of the ailment have been discussed at length — the alienation of the people; the rise of the middle class youth and the roots of its anger; the absence of a genuine political process. It is a political problem that needs a political solution, along with counter-insurgency operations. The people need...

Security forces have killed another eight terrorists during the ongoing Operation Shaban in Balochistan, following which the total number of terrorists killed in the operation reached 79, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported on Monday, citing security sources. Operation Shaban is being jointly carried out across the province by the army, Frontier Corps (FC) and Balochistan Police following the terrorist July 7 attack in the Mangi Dam area, in which 27 police personnel were martyred. Security forces are targeting the terrorists through both aerial and ground operations, the Radio Pakistan report said. It further quoted security sources as saying that a total of 117 terrorists had been killed during Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations in Balochistan since July 5. Separately, a statement shared on the interior ministry’s X account said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi commended the army and Balochistan FC and police for killing five more terrorists. “He commended the professional capabili...