QUETTA : Monitoring Desk – Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Sunday that at least 145 terrorists were killed within 40 hours during intelligence-based operations across the province, calling it one of the most extensive counterterrorism campaigns carried out in such a short period. That figure includes more than 40 terrorists that security forces said were killed on Friday.
According to Bugti, 17 personnel from law enforcement agencies, including police and the Frontier Corps, along with one navy official, were killed in the attacks. At least 31 casualties were reported, with several others injured.
The remarks came a day after a series of coordinated attacks at multiple locations in Balochistan. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces killed 92 terrorists, while 18 civilians were martyred. The military said that during clearance operations and intense standoffs, “15 brave sons of soil, having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom.”
The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks in a social media post, describing them as the second phase of “Operation Heroof.”
Speaking at a press conference, Bugti said intelligence agencies had advance information about the planned assaults, prompting pre-emptive operations a day earlier in areas including north-eastern Quetta, Panjgur and Sherani.
“We had intelligence reports that this was being planned, so we started operations a day before,” he said. “They wanted to carry out similar attacks, particularly in Quetta’s north-eastern areas, which is why no such attack happened there.”
He said forces remained alert in other parts of the province where incidents later occurred and added that more than 5,800 intelligence-based operations were conducted over the 40-hour period.
“So far, we have 145 bodies. We managed to kill 145 terrorists – the highest number in 40 hours,” Bugti said.
The chief minister accused terrorists of deliberately targeting civilians, including women and children. Referring to an incident in Gwadar, he said that at a family labour colony, five women and three children were killed despite pleading for their lives.
He said terrorists also targeted surveillance infrastructure, including Safe City cameras in Quetta, but added that the project had since been improved and expanded.
Bugti said terrorists used children as human shields during attacks in Quetta, creating difficult operational decisions for security forces. “They brought an 11-year-old child with them,” he said. “Should my police kill an 11-year-old? They take children from the streets and use them as human shields. What option do you leave us with?”
Bugti alleged the attacks were planned from Afghan territory and carried out on the instructions of India, describing the terrorists as an Indian proxy. He said when Pakistan is engaged on foreign fronts, such elements try to destabilise the country.
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Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who flew to Quetta late Saturday to join funerals, said that the attackers were supported by India. “We will not spare a single terrorist involved in these incidents,” he said. In a press conference on Sunday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif likewise claimed the attackers enjoyed links to India and pledged to “completely eliminate these terrorists”.
CM said terrorists attempted to enter sensitive areas and seize key installations but failed. “They thought they would enter the red zone, take over important assets and create a hostage situation,” he said. “Noshki is now completely clear. It took time, but we cleared it.”
He did not mention about the whereabout of Deputy Commissioner Noshki who was kidnapped by the terrorists.
Security forces were hunting on Sunday for the terrorists behind a string of coordinated attacks in Balochistan, with the government vowing to retaliate after more than 190 people, including 145 terrorists, were killed in two days.
Around a dozen sites remained sealed off, with troops combing the area a day after terrorists stormed banks, jails, police stations and military installations, killing at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel, according to Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the attacks were carried out in several districts, including Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar, and Pasni, to disrupt peace and development in the province.
Mobile internet service across the province has been jammed for more than 24 hours, while road traffic is disrupted and train services suspended. After being rocked by explosions, typically bustling Quetta lay quiet on Sunday, with major roads and businesses deserted, and people staying indoors out of fear. Shattered metal fragments and mangled vehicles litter some roads.
“Anyone who leaves home has no certainty of returning safe and sound. There is constant fear over whether they will come back unharmed,” Hamdullah, a 39-year-old shopkeeper who goes by one name, told AFP in Quetta.
Pakistan has been battling a Baloch terrorist insurgency for decades, with frequent armed attacks on security forces, foreign nationals and non-local Pakistanis in the mineral-rich province bordering Afghanistan and Iran. Saturday’s attacks came a day after the military said it killed 41 insurgents in two separate operations in the province.
The insurgents released a video showing group leader Bashir Zaib leading armed units on motorcycles during the attack. Another clip claimed to show the abducted Deputy Commissioner from Nushki district.
In another district, terrorists freed at least 30 inmates from a district jail, while seizing firearms and ammunition. They also ransacked a police station and took ammunition with them.
“It was one of the most audacious attacks in the region in recent years, as unlike other attacks, it took place in broad daylight,” Abdul Basit at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore told AFP.
Several of the BLA’s videos featured women insurgents, while Defence Minister Asif said at least one of the suicide bombers was a young woman.
“They continue to showcase women strategically in high-visibility attacks,” Basit said.
