QUETTA, FEB 1: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday confirmed that at least 145 terrorists have been killed in almost 40 hours across the province after terrorists belonging to Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) launched “coordinated attacks across 12 towns”.
“17 security personnel and 31 civilians embraced martyrdom during the attacks carried out across the province,” the provincial chief executive said while addressing a press conference in Quetta.
The statement comes as terrorists affiliated with India-sponsored Fitna al-Hindustan carried out multiple attacks targeting civilians in Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar, and Pasni.
During the press conference, Bugti said the bodies of 145 terrorists were in the custody of the authorities and revealed that terrorists in Gwadar had martyred five women and three children. The slain family belonged to Khuzdar and were Baloch, he added.
Bugti slammed hostile elements for trying to destabilise Pakistan at the behest of India and questioned whether the BLA was a registered political party with which negotiations could be held.
He said the group wanted to impose its ideology through the use of guns and reiterated that the government was not prepared to surrender even for a second.
“We will not surrender… they [terrorists] can destabilise but cannot take a single inch of our country,” CM Bugti said.
Declaring that “our blood is not cheap,” the chief minister said the perpetrators would not be allowed to escape and warned that the land would be turned into hell for terrorists.
He said Balochistan would be taken towards peace and maintained that the use of force had never been carried out in the province in the manner claimed, stressing that only small, targeted operations were conducted.
Security operations
He said the provincial government bears the responsibility of taking care of the children of martyrs and disclosed that authorities had received intelligence reports about the planned terrorist attacks and had launched operations a day earlier on the basis of those reports.
Referring to security arrangements, he said terrorists believed they would be able to penetrate the Red Zone, but they failed. He confirmed that Nushki had now been completely cleared and that operations had already been initiated earlier on intelligence information.
He said the perception that large-scale force was being used in Balochistan was incorrect and again described the actions as limited, intelligence-based operations.
The chief minister said the government engages people through dialogue and jirgas and once again stressed that Balochistan would be taken towards peace. He described the province as a conflict zone where Pakistan was fighting India’s proxy networks and reaffirmed the resolve to continue the fight against terrorism.
He revealed that militants had also targeted Safe City cameras. “Our Safe City cameras in Quetta were also attacked. We will install CCTV cameras in eight cities to strengthen surveillance,” he said.
“Our soldiers confronted the terrorists in the red zone, due to which the attackers’ vehicle could not ram into its target,” Bugti said, praising the bravery of security personnel. He announced that a high state award would be given to an injured officer for their actions.
He vowed that intelligence‑led operations against terrorists would continue relentlessly. “We will carry out intelligence-based operations against terrorists and we will drag them out of their hideouts,” Bugti said.
Using civilians as shields
CM Bugti rejected attempts to link terrorism and violence in Balochistan solely with deprivation and said terrorists merge into civilian populations, making operations extremely sensitive. He added that authorities could have eliminated militants with heavy firepower, including mortars, but refrained from doing so to avoid civilian casualties.
Bugti explained that terrorists often blend in with civilians and that the state did not want to become brutal like them.
He said a Baloch family was targeted and killed by terrorists in a labour colony in Gwadar and questioned why Baloch people were being turned into fuel for violence at India’s behest. Bugti said whenever Pakistan attempts to take off economically and politically, such incidents occur.
He said he personally surveyed Quetta on Saturday to oversee security operations. “Yesterday, I myself moved around Quetta. At one or two places, they even brought 11-year-old children with them. Children were used as human shields,” he said, adding that terrorists had attempted to storm the PTC building.
He declared that the government was prepared to fight this war for a thousand years if required.
Afghan link
The chief minister said reports indicated that Afghan nationals were operating alongside the terrorists. “All kinds of weapons have been used in these terrorist attacks, and weapons from the Afghanistan war are openly circulating in the market.”
“Today, Bashir Zeb, Rehman Gul and Allah Nazar are present in Afghanistan,” he added. Bugti emphasised that terrorists have no nationality or tribal affiliation.
He further said that Afghanistan was being used as a base against Pakistan and that intelligence-led operations would continue to neutralise terrorists and protect civilians.
‘Terrorists have no identity’
Meanwhile, the provincial chief executive noted that terrorists belonging to any outlawed group have no identity. “They chant ‘Baloch, Baloch’, yet on one hand they kill Baloch women and on the other they turn women into fuel for war,” he said.
“Did our ancestors ever kill women and children? Since when did a Baloch become a terrorist? A terrorist is only a terrorist.”
He criticised the state’s previous reconciliation policy, calling it harmful. “For the state, this reconciliation policy has turned out to be damaging. What kind of Baloch identity is this, where banks, motorcycles and people are robbed?” he asked.
The chief minister warned that the government had a clear solution to bring militants to justice. “We have a solution, and you will see that we will bring these people to justice. We have no sympathy for the families of the 145 terrorists who were killed,” he said.
Bugti reaffirmed the importance of the National Action Plan, calling it the most significant counterterrorism document after the Constitution.
“There was consensus on the National Action Plan, but Baloch militants were later declared as ‘angry Baloch’. After the Constitution of Pakistan, I consider the National Action Plan the most important document,” he said.
