Balochistan | Pakistan

A bogie of the Quetta-bound Bolan Mail sustained partial damage on Thursday after an explosion targeted a railway track in Balochistan’s Sibi district, railway and security officials confirmed.

Balochistan — Pakistan’s largest and most resource-rich province — rarely makes headlines, and when it does, it’s often for tragic reasons: bombings, attacks on passenger buses, targeted killings, enforced disappearances, arrest of activists, or political upheavals. In recent years, another deeply troubling issue has pushed its way into the spotlight — a rise in gender-based violence and ‘honour’ killings. While such violence has long haunted the province, the proliferation of smartphones, internet access, and social media have made it increasingly difficult to keep these crimes hidden. Over the weekend, one such incident sparked nationwide outrage: a harrowing video emerged online, showing a woman and a man being killed by a group of men in the outskirts of Quetta — reportedly in the name of honour. At a press conference on Monday evening, while sharing details of the so-called honour-based killing, Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti disputed reports that the victims were a newly married couple. “Th...

Security forces have killed four more terrorists during a sanitisation operation in Balochistan’s Kalat district, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that a deliberate sanitisation operation was conducted in the district’s surrounding areas on Monday following a successful intelligence-based operation on Saturday in which four terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy, Fitna al-Hindustan, were killed. “During the conduct of the operation, four more terrorists of Fitna al-Hindustan were hunted down and successfully neutralised. “Terrorist hideout was also busted and a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was recovered,” the ISPR said of the sanitisation operation. It added that security forces remained determined to “thwart attempts by Indian proxies at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan”. In May, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna al-Hindu­stan — a new phr...

In response to recent terrorist attacks targeting passengers in Balochistan, the government has imposed a night travel ban on all transport from Punjab to Balochistan.

ISLAMABAD - Vice President of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman on Monday delivered a strong condemnation of the recent brutal murder of a man and woman in Balochistan, calling the incident “not an honour killing, but an act of sheer dishonour.

At least 11 more suspects, including a tribal leader, were arrested on Monday for their alleged involvement in the killing of a man and a woman in Balochistan after a video of the murder went viral on social media, with the case now handed over to the Serious Crimes Investigation Wing (SCIW), according to the police. SCIW Superintendent of Police (SP) Syed Saboor Agha told Dawn.com, “Eleven people have been arrested, including a tribal leader who issued directives to shoot the couple, and all of them will appear before a judicial magistrate today.” The viral video showed a group of men leading a couple out of vehicles and into a desert before gunning them down with pistols and shooting the bodies. Political figures and activists said it was an ‘honour’ killing incident. On Sunday, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced on X that he had directed the Balochistan Police to take immediate action, following which one suspect was apprehended. According to a first information report (FIR) — a copy of whi...

Three terrorists belonging to a proscribed militant outfit were killed during an operation in Mastung district, Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said on Monday. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities over the past year, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. According to a statement by the CTD spokesperson, “All three suspects, who were killed, were linked to Daesh and were planning future acts of terror.” Daesh refers to the banned militant Islamic State (IS) group, a globally proscribed terrorist organisation. The CTD conducted an operation during which a “high-value Daesh suspect”, who was involved in the abduction and murder of a minor, was being taken to identify a suspected hideout in the outskirts of Mastung’s Dasht area, the statement said. “The suspect had been under CTD custody and was involved in a brutal case of kidnapping for ransom, where the a...

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his meeting with Balochistan’s Livestock Minist Sardarzada Mir Faisal Jamali, decided to exchange superior livestock breeds and to bolster cooperation in livestock development between the two provinces.

In a significant development in the Balochistan honour killing case, police have arrested 11 suspects, including the head of the Satakzai tribe, over the brutal murder of a married couple.

QUETTA - In a major breakthrough for regional security, security forces successfully thwarted a terror plot in the Parod area of Balochistan, targeting operatives of the banned group Fitna al-Hindustan.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday said that a case had been registered and a suspect had been arrested after a video showing the murder of a couple went viral on social media. The video shows a group of men leading a couple out of vehicles and into a desert apparently in Balochistan, before gunning them down with pistols and shooting the bodies. Political figures and activists have termed the incident an ‘honour’ killing. In a post on X, Bugti addressed the incident, stating that it occurred a few days before Eidul Azha this year and that the victims had been identified. “Taking immediate notice of the viral video of the murder of a woman and a man on all social media, orders were issued to Balochistan Police for action,” the CM wrote. “A terrorism case has been registered on behalf of the state, and one suspected killer has been arrested; the law will take its course in this heinous matter!” Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind spoke at the Karachi Press Club today and said that a...

Security forces killed four terrorists during an operation in Balochistan’s Kalat district, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Sunday. There has been an increase in the frequency of attacks against security forces in Balochistan in recent times. Earlier this week, three people were killed and seven others were injured as a passenger bus was fired upon in Kalat. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the intelligence-based operation took place on the night of July 19-20, upon the “reported presence of terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Hindustan”. In May this year, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna-Al-Hindu­stan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, [our] own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the statement read. According to the ISPR, weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the dead terror...

Security forces in Balochistan have killed four terrorists belonging to the group "Fitna-e-Hindustan" during a successful operation, according to sources.

QUETTA: Reko-Diq Mining Company (RDMC) has paid more than $17.5m in royalties to the Balochistan government, its officials said on Thursday. The details were shared during a media briefing on the Reko-Diq project’s progress. Communications Manager Samia Ali Shah said payments tallied as of June 2025 include $17.5m in royalties to the Balochistan government and nearly $3.8m to the federal government on account of employees and others parties’ income taxes collected by the company. Ms Shah explained that the Balochistan government holds a 25 per cent partnership in the project without making any direct investment. The overall venture is a 50-50 partnership between the government of Pakistan and RDMC. The briefing also highlighted the company’s efforts in local workforce development. Present at the event were trainees who had just returned to Pakistan after completing 18 months of training in Argentina, sponsored by the company. “The young talent going for training abroad comprises 14pc females,” Ms Shah said, a...

Heavy monsoon rainfall has wreaked havoc across Punjab and Balochistan, leaving at least 59 people dead in the past 24 hours and causing widespread flooding and destruction.

Three people were killed and seven others were injured as a passenger bus was fired upon in Balochistan’s Kalat, according to the provincial government spokesperson. A statement from Shahid Rind said: “Three passengers were martyred and seven were injured in the tragic incident” when a shooting occurred on a passenger coach coming from Karachi to Quetta in Kalat’s Nemargh area. He said the injured were being moved to the District Headquarters Hospital Kalat for treatment, adding that an emergency had been imposed at the facility. Meanwhile, an update from the EdhI Foundation rescue service put the number of injured at 10, saying they were taken to Civil Hospital Quetta for treatment. “Security agencies, district administration and rescue teams have immediately reached the scene. Security forces have surrounded the area and a search operation is underway. Security forces are pursuing the attackers,” Rind said. Speaking to Geo News, he said Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had taken notice of the incident and sough...

MULTAN - Federal Communications Minister and President of Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), Abdul Aleem Khan, strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Balochistan in which innocent civilians were brutally targeted and killed while traveling.

DG KHAN / ISLAMABAD/QUETTA - The bodies of nine people who were martyred by unidentified armed men in the Sur-Dakai area on the border between Balochistan’s Zhob and Loralai districts late Thursday night were received in Dera Ghazi KHAN on Friday morning.

The bodies of nine bus passengers who were kidnapped and killed in Balochistan’s Sardhaka area last night were recovered and transported to their hometowns in Punjab on Friday morning, officials said. Last night, at least nine passengers travelling on two Punjab-bound coaches were abducted and killed by unidentified armed men in the Sur-Dakai area, situated on the border between Balochistan’s Zhob and Loralai districts. Provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind also confirmed the incident and said that Fitna-al-Hindu­stan — a term the government uses for terrorist organisations in Balo­chistan — had carried out attacks at three different places — Kakat, Mastung and Sur-Dakai. The Balochistan Liberation Front, a banned outfit, later claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the group said it had killed the nine individuals after blocking the highway between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri. Assistant Comm­issioner (AC) Naveed Alam told Dawn.com today that the bodies of all nine passengers were h...

At least nine passengers were abducted and brutally martyred by terrorists linked to the banned outfit Fitna-ul-Hindustan in Balochistan’s Zhob district on Thursday night, according to Dunya News.