Staff Reporter:
Quetta: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday reiterated the provincial government’s firm resolve to wipe out terrorism, saying that 145 terrorists were killed within 40 hours following a series of coordinated attacks across the province.
Addressing a press conference in Quetta, the chief minister said the scale and speed of the counterterrorism response marked one of the most significant actions taken in recent years. He noted that the bodies of the terrorists were now in the custody of the authorities.
According to official accounts, the attacks were carried out by terrorists linked to Fitna-al-Hindustan, a designation used by the state for Balochistan-based terrorist networks allegedly supported by India to undermine stability in Pakistan. Earlier, security officials had confirmed that 92 terrorists were killed while responding to the attacks on Saturday.
CM Bugti said the operations came at a heavy human cost. Seventeen personnel from law enforcement agencies, including police, Frontier Corps and one Navy official, were martyred, while 31 civilians were killed or injured. Expressing sympathy with the affected families, he said the provincial government would ensure the welfare and future of the martyrs’ children.
The chief minister revealed that intelligence inputs had indicated plans for large-scale terrorist attacks, prompting pre-emptive operations in Shaban and Panjgur a day earlier, during which around 40 terrorists were neutralised. He added that the terrorists had also planned to advance toward Quetta, but heightened vigilance by security forces prevented any major damage.
Terming the Gwadar incident the most painful, CM Bugti said women and children were among the victims, calling it a tragedy that deeply shook the province. He further said terrorists attempted to enter sensitive zones and seize key installations, but their plans were successfully foiled. Nushki, he added, was the only area where clearance took additional time, and the situation there was now fully under control.
Tracing and combing operations are continuing in affected districts, the chief minister said, vowing that the terrorists involved would not be allowed to escape. He dismissed claims that any city had been taken over, clarifying that no banks were looted and normalcy was restored swiftly.
Rejecting attempts to portray terrorism as a political issue, CM Bugti said terrorist groups were forcing their ideology through violence and fear, even using children as human shields. “This is not politics; it is terrorism,” he said, warning that such groups were dragging Baloch youth into a destructive conflict driven by external agendas.
