QUETTA: At least 50 people, including 14 security personnel, were killed in a series of violent attacks across Balochistan as militants from the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) unleashed chaos throughout the province. The militants targeted police stations, railway tracks, and vehicles, leaving widespread destruction in their wake.
The violence began late Sunday night, with militants launching coordinated assaults on security forces and civilians, particularly those from Punjab. Key locations including police stations, a paramilitary camp in Bela, Levies stations, and several highways, including the Coastal Highway, were attacked.
In Musakhail, militants shot and killed 23 people after checking their identity documents. The victims, including truck drivers transporting coal and fruits to Punjab, were pulled from their vehicles and executed based on their ethnic identity. The attackers also set fire to 35 trucks, passenger vehicles, and other transport on the highway near Rara Sham.
In Khadkocha, militants stormed a local police station, taking Levies officials hostage before setting the premises on fire. In Kalat, further attacks on a Levies station, two hotels, and the residence of a tribal elder resulted in 11 deaths, including four Levies officials and a police sub-inspector. Nine others, including the Kalat Assistant Commissioner, were injured.
In Bolan’s Kolpur area, six bodies were recovered, believed to have been killed by militants. Meanwhile, in Lasbela, a Frontier Corps camp was attacked by militants who rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate before storming the premises.
The militants also blocked several highways across Mastung, Kalat, Bela, Turbat, and Panjgur, including the critical Coastal Highway connecting Karachi to Gwadar. They destroyed a railway bridge near Kolpur, severing Quetta’s connection to the rest of the country, and blew up another track near Mastung, cutting off the rail link to Iran. Consequently, all passenger trains to Punjab, Karachi, Peshawar, and Chaman were canceled, and goods trains bound for Iran were halted.
In response, security forces launched operations that neutralized 21 militants. According to a statement from the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), 14 security personnel, including four law enforcers, were martyred during the operations. The ISPR emphasized that the terrorists responsible for these heinous acts would be brought to justice.
The banned BLA claimed responsibility for the attacks, with their Majeed brigade executing the operations. The group released images of the attackers, including a female suicide bomber, who targeted the FC camp in Bela.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attacks and vowed to pursue the terrorists relentlessly. Bugti called for a debate in the provincial assembly on the use of 4G internet by militants to spread their messages. He also urged family members of BLA leader Bashir Zeb, who are government employees, to choose between allegiance to the state or the separatists.
Interior Minister Naqvi, in a statement on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), condemned the attacks as part of a conspiracy to destabilize Pakistan. He promised to take every possible step to restore law and order in Balochistan and asserted that the terrorists and their enablers would be brought to justice.
Naqvi also mentioned that a decision regarding the launch of the Azm-i-Istehkam operation in Balochistan would be made soon by the political leadership. He stressed that the nation’s resolve would not be shaken by such cowardly acts, and a firm response would be given to the terrorists.
