Politics

Pakistani authorities announced on Sunday that police and military forces eliminated over 100 "Indian-backed terrorists" in counterterrorism operations in the troubled southwestern province of Balochistan over the last 40 hours. This action came after coordinated suicide and gun attacks resulted in the deaths of 33 individuals, mainly civilians. The operations commenced early Saturday at various sites across Balochistan, leading to the deaths of 18 civilians, which included five women and three children, along with 15 security personnel, according to officials. Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of the province, spoke to reporters in Quetta, stating that troops and police acted quickly, killing 145 members of "Fitna al-Hindustan," a term used by the government to refer to the allegedly Indian-backed outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA. Bugti noted that this number of militants killed was the highest in decades. He mentioned, “The bodies of these 145 killed terrorists are in our custody, and some of them are Afghan nationals.” He further claimed that the "Indian-backed terrorists" aimed to take hostages but were unsuccessful in reaching the city center. Bugti was joined by senior government official Hamza Shafqat, who often supervises operations against insurgents in the area. They both commended the military, police, and paramilitary forces for successfully countering the attacks. The militant assaults began in a resource-rich area where Pakistan is looking to draw foreign investment in the mining and minerals sector. In September 2025, a U.S. metals company signed a $500 million deal with Pakistan, shortly after the U.S. State Department labeled the BLA and its armed wing as a foreign terrorist organization. Witnesses described a scene of chaos after a suicide bombing targeted police officers on Saturday. Local resident Khan Muhammad stated, “It was a very scary day in the history of Quetta. Armed men were roaming openly on the roads before security forces arrived.” Bugti repeatedly accused India and Afghanistan of supporting the attackers and claimed that senior BLA leaders, who took responsibility for the recent Balochistan attacks, were operating from Afghan territory. Both Kabul and New Delhi have denied these accusations.