Balochistan | Pakistan

• Term algal blooms along the coast not unusual • WWF says bloom not caused by pollution • A unicellular marine organism blamed for the occurrence KARACHI: Seawater along Pakistan’s coast, especially Gwadar, Pasni, Jiwani and Ormara in Balochistan, has turned green by an algal bloom, marine experts reported on Saturday. However, they declared that the bloom posed no toxic threat. “Strong winds and ocean currents have pushed large quantities of algae toward near shores, also amassing rotting seaweeds, which has stunk up the beaches,” said Abdul Rahim, Deputy Director at the Gwadar Development Authority, adding the bloom was caused by a single-celled marine organism Noctiluca. Algal blooms, he explained were rapid growths or gathering of algae in water bodies and they could cause red, brown, green or blue pigmentation in the water, depending on the type of algae. According to the GDA official, the intensity of these blooms has increased over a decade along Balochistan’s coast. Earlier, he pointed out, there was...

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has predicted rain and snowfall in the mountainous regions of Balochistan across 29 districts from the night of December 29 until January 1.

Security forces killed four terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Panjgur district, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the security forces conducted an operation on December 26 on the reported presence of “Khawarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khawarij”. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The statement added during the conduct of operation, “own forces effectively engaged the Khawarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored Khawarij were sent to hell”. The statement further said that weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the killed terrorists, “who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”. Following the skirmish, a sanitization operation was initiated in the area to “eliminate any other Indian sponsored Khawarij present in the...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast that cool weather conditions will continue in Karachi over the next three days due to winds blowing from Balochistan.

Security forces killed five terrorists in an intelligence based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Kohlu district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted on December 25 on the “reported presence of terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna-al-Hindustan”. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. The ISPR statement added that during the conduct of the operation, “own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, five Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell”. The military’s media wing elaborated that weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, “who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”. “Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian...

Security forces neutralised 10 terrorists, including a high-value target, in separate intelligence-based operations (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district and Balochistan‘s Kalat district, the military’s media affairs wing said in separate statements on Thursday. On December 24, (yesterday) two khawarij were killed in an IBO in DI Khan‘s Kulachi area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in Thursday’s statement, using the term designating members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location. Resultantly, two khawarij, including kharji ring leader Dilawar, were sent to hell,” the statement read. According to the ISPR, Dilawar was wanted by law enforcement agencies due to his involvement in terrorist activity and the government had put an Rs4 million bounty on him. The statement added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead terrorists, who remained actively involved in terrorist activi...

Throughout 2025, the Balochistan government rolled out a series of major initiatives aimed at strengthening agriculture, expanding education, and creating employment opportunities for young people across the province.

QUETTA: The Quetta valley and several towns and cities across Balochistan received the first winter rainfall on Saturday, ending a prolonged dry spell and bringing much-needed relief to growers facing drought-like conditions. However, the rains also disrupted normal life, suspending power supply and mobile networks, flooding roads and houses, and triggering road accidents that left two women dead and several others injured. Clouds had been hovering over Quetta and adjoining areas for the past two days, though weather experts initially ruled out significant rainfall, describing the system over Balochistan as weak and unlikely to cause torrential rain. Contrary to these forecasts, rain began around noon in parts of the Quetta valley and soon intensified, spreading across the provincial capital. As the rainfall strengthened, roads in urban areas were inundated with rainwater, leading to widespread traffic congestion. Power supply to Quetta was suspended shortly after the rain began, plunging large parts of the c...

Balochistan experienced widespread rainfall on Saturday, bringing much-needed relief after a prolonged dry period and easing drought-like conditions across large parts of the province.

A policeman and a civilian were martyred when terrorists attacked and looted a bank in Balochistan’s Panjgur area, according to police officials. According to police sources, a clash erupted when terrorists attempted to raid a private bank in Panjgur city and police responded, triggering a gun battle. Dara Khan, a constable with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), was martyred, while another civilian was killed. A source added that two policemen were also injured in the gun battle, while the suspects fled the scene. AFP, citing a police official, reported that Rs1 million had been stolen. Panjgur SSP (Senior Superintendent of Police) Dost Muhammad Bugti told the media that the suspects arrived in four vehicles and that two bank raids were foiled after police responded. “If police had not responded, then all five banks in the city would have been robbed,” he said. Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti issued a statement praising the response by the police and CTD, lauding them for ensuring the “safe...

The Pakistan Meterological Department (PMD) on Friday forecasted rain-thunderstorm and snowfall in the western and northern parts of the country over the weekend. “A shallow western disturbance is likely to approach western parts of the country on 12 December night,” it stated in its latest weather update, posted on X. Under the influence of the weather system, light to moderate rain-thunderstorm with snowfall over the hills is expected in several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, including “Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Malakand, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Buner, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir from December 13th to 15th, with occasional gaps,” the statement said. “Partly cloudy conditions with light rain/storm is expected in Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Waziristan, Quetta, Ziarat, Zhob, Sherani, Chaman, Pishin, Qilla Abdullah, Qilla Saifullah, and Noshki on December 14th or 15.” It also forecasted drizzle in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Potohar region and light rain or ...

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday dismissed a request by the Balochistan government seeking postponement of local government elections in Quetta, reaffirming that the polls will be held on December 28 as scheduled.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Monday filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), seeking the postponement of the local government elections in Quetta that were scheduled to be held on December 28. Informed sources told Dawn that in the petition, Bugti cited the precarious law and order situation in the provincial capital and the suspension of internet services as the reasons for postponing the Quetta Metropolitan Corporation (QMC) elections. He also said people have migrated due to winters, affecting voter participation. Earlier, the Balochistan government had requested the election commission to postpone the polls, citing similar reasons stated in today’s petition. The request was turned down. In other districts of Balochistan, local government elections were held three years ago, and the current bodies’ term would expire in nine months, the sources said. It is worth noting that the ECP completed all preparations for holding local body elections in Quetta, and the printing ...

Security forces have killed 12 terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Kalat district of Balochistan, the military’s media affairs wing said on Sunday. According to the statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the IBO was conducted on Saturday on the reported presence of “terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna-al-Hindustan”. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. The ISPR statement detailed that during the operation yesterday, “own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, 12 Indian-sponsored terrorists were sent to hell”. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were found in the terrorists’ possession, it said, adding that they had been “actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrori...

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti on Sunday reaffirmed that militants would not be allowed to impose their agenda on the country, stressing that the people of Balochistan stand firmly with Pakistan’s security forces.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday that 14 terrorists were killed in three separate intelligence-based operations (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.. In a statement, the military’s media wing said nine khawarij belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij were killed on Friday. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It said an IBO was conducted in Tank on the reported presence of terrorists. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, seven khawarij were sent to hell,” the statement read. In a separate IBO conducted in Lakki Marwat, “two more khawarij were effectively neutralised by security forces”. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji found in the area,” the statement said. Later in the day, the ISPR said security forces conducted an IBO in Balochistan’s Dera ...

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.