Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday expressed the firm resolve to eliminate terrorists after a spate of coordinated attacks across the province, adding that 145 militants were killed within a span of 40 hours.
The military’s media affairs wing said terrorists of Fitna-al-Hindustan carried out a spate of attacks across Balochistan on Saturday, responding to which the security forces killed 92 terrorists.
The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference in Quetta on Sunday, CM Bugti said 145 terrorists were killed in 40 hours, adding that their bodies were in the custody of the authorities.
“This is the highest number since Pakistan is facing this war on terror,” he highlighted.
“Our 17 law enforcement people, including police and FC and one Navy personnel, were martyred, and our civilian casualties are 31, including some injured,” CM Bugti said.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said on Saturday night that 15 personnel were martyred during the operations and 18 civilians, including women and children, were also killed during the attacks.
Stating that the state shared the grief of bereaved families, CM Bugti assured them that the welfare of the martyrs’ children was the government’s responsibility.
“We had intelligence reports that this kind of operation is being planned, and as a result of those, we had already started pre-operations a day before, in which around 40 terrorists were killed in Shaban and Panjgur,” he detailed.
The chief minister noted that the terrorists had planned to attack Quetta from Shaban, adding that the forces were “very vigilant”.
CM Bugti termed the Gwadar incident, where he said five women and three children were killed, as the “most painful”. After the press conference, he also played video statements of those injured in Gwadar.
Noting that a narrative of independence had been created, he said terrorists were using the Baloch on India’s instructions.
“Whenever Pakistan begins to take off economically or on foreign fronts, you try to destabilise Pakistan by carrying out such attacks on India’s directives.”
The chief minister said the terrorists had planned to enter the Red Zone and occupy important assets, which were foiled.
However, he added, “Except for Nushki, where it took us some time to disengage them. Nushki is completely clear now.”
CM Bugti said tracing and combing operations were underway and vowed, “We will not let them go.”
Asked about reports of the Nushki deputy commissioner being abducted, the chief minister confirmed that the official was “at a safe place and had escaped their grip” when he last spoke with him.
“No city was taken over,” he clarified in response to a query, recalling that he visited various areas in Quetta. “Not a single bank was looted.”
Detailing an attempt to target a police station, the chief minister said terrorists were forcefully using “children as human shields”.
The Balochistan CM also assailed attempts to frame terrorism as a “political issue”.
“Is BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army) a registered party with whom you have to hold a dialogue? […] They purely want to impose their ideology on us with the force of guns and push the Baloch into a futile war. […] You are linking this war with deprivation and rationalising this violence too.”
He asserted that “rationalising this violence in the name of ethno-nationalism was a direct support to BLA”.
Bugti then asked what some people wished for to be the outcome of such a dialogue. “As a result of dialogue, they want us to surrender? We will not. We will fight this war for a thousand years,” he affirmed.
“We are not ready to surrender even for a second. They can carry out a thousand such attacks. They can destabilise us, but they cannot take an inch from us. This Pakistan is not for breaking away. These people cannot do it. And neither can their masters.”
CM Bugti said “tools such as certain Sardars and social media” were being used to “disintegrate” the youth from the state. He expressed the resolve to further boost engagement with the population and the youth.
Responding to a question, he asserted that terrorists were only terrorists and that it upset him when they were called “Baloch terrorists”.
At another query, he emphasised that the state had still kept the door for talks open — unlike in the case of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — “just because of this so-called narrative [and] confusion spread in Pakistan’s intelligentsia, mainstream political leadership, judiciary and media for the last 30 years”.
The chief minister observed that in the National Action Plan, the government started treating “Baloch militants as separate” from other terrorists. “What a confused nation we are. Are we fighting a serious war? he said.
Noting that terrorists blend themselves within the civilian population, the chief minister asked, “Should we become brutal like them?
“We could kill 10 [terrorists] by throwing one mortar, but what about the 20 civilians with them? This is the only reason why we do not want to become brutal like them.”
CM Bugti also took exception to those arguing that the Balochistan “issue cannot be solved with force”. “When has force ever been used in Balochistan?” he asked rhetorically, adding that no military operation was conducted in any city.
“It is a purely intelligence-driven war,” the chief minister stressed, noting that only intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were conducted in the province.
He also accused India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) of backing the terrorist activities, asserting that the authorities had “solid and circumstantial evidence”.
Responding to a question, CM Bugti expressed the state’s firm resolve to continue the war against terrorism.
“Why will we get tired? We are the state of Pakistan. We will not get tired,” he said, adding that military operations were not needed currently as IBOs were being carried out.
The chief minister noted that while “all kinds” of arms were employed in the recent attacks, those left behind after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan had “spread into the market and were provided to them by their masters”.
Responding to a query about the Safe City project, CM Bugti highlighted that cameras linked to the network were also targeted as they were a “threat” to them.
Asked about the surge in terrorism, the chief minister noted there were “people who adopted the policy of appeasement and the institutions” that did the same after 2018.
Pointing out that the institution had “punished their person”, the PPP leader asked whether the political leadership that did the same had held its people accountable.
“The biggest reason behind the rise [in terrorism] today is the post-2018 appeasement,” CM Bugti asserted, adding that the policy had always proved to be harmful for the state.
“There shouldn’t be any appeasement to those who took up arms against the state of Pakistan.”
The chief minister strongly refuted that there was any “public sympathy” for such acts, highlighting that the public across the entire country was strongly condemning terrorism.
“The only problem is narrative and the second problem is operations in grey. This operation is grey is the biggest problem for us,” he said.
CM Bugti also reiterated what he emphasised during his media talk in a statement on X, saying: “The Government of Balochistan had clearly announced that it is the responsibility of the families of those who have joined the ranks of terrorists to inform the government.
“Law will take its course against all the family members of these terrorists who did not alert the government,” he asserted.
‘Mopping-up’ operation underway: defence minister
Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said peace has been established in Balochistan after yesterday’s attacks and security forces were now “engaged in a mopping-up operation”.
“At this moment in time, peace has been established, and the coordinated attack has been repulsed completely, and they (terrorists) have retreated,” Asif said while addressing the media in Sialkot.
The defence minister further said that attempts were made to “target the FC (Frontier Corps) headquarters” in Nushki and Dalbadin, adding that all attacks were foiled.
“They attempted to carry out a suicide attack in Dalbadin,” he said, adding that “all targets have been neutralised”.
Echoing Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s statements, Asif blamed the incidents on neighbouring India, adding that the attacks aimed to “destabilise the country at a time when it is on the path to progress”.
“Our intelligence and the confessional statements by terrorists all prove linkages to India,” the defence minister said.
The minister said that the BLA was now “making use of female bombers”, detailing that women were involved in at least “two attacks in the 12 cities targeted” on Saturday.
He added that in an attack in Pasni, the terrorists made use of a “female suicide bomber”.
“The minds of young women are being polluted,” he said, adding that the BLA was now targeting “labourers and poor people struggling to survive”.
“Their handlers are sitting in Afghanistan, and indoctrinating young children to be used for their nefarious purposes,” he added.
Asif noted that terrorists were able to “operate easily” owing to Balochistan’s vast and sparsely populated area, vowing that the government would “work towards ending this advantage”.
Terrorists using civilians as human shields: Tallal Chaudhry
In a separate televised statement, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said terrorists were using civilians as human shields. Therefore, security forces had to operate with great caution, which took some time, he added.
He said they were “hiding behind them and in some places, using families and children as shields to escape”.
“Terrorists could have been responded to within minutes, but the operation was carried out with caution on soft targets to avoid harming civilian women and children, who were being used as shields by terrorist,” Chaudhry said.
“If they are so capable, why don’t they attack openly instead of hiding behind women and children?” he added.
The state minister also took note of a “false narrative” being spread on social media that terrorists have taken control of some areas — a claim also rebutted by CM Bugti in his press conference.
Noting that videos, in some cases AI-generated, were aired by Indian media, Chaudhry pointed out that the “extent of terrorists’ connection with Indian media” was apparent as they were “transmitting from areas with no mobile signals, creating narratives, and broadcasting them”.
“This clearly indicates India is backing them financially and logistically.”
The interior official further asserted, “This is not about Baloch rights; it is about targeting things used by Baloch civilians.”
He also stated that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has visited Quetta, “proving that the situation is normal and showing the federal government’s support of Balochistan”.
“Most terrorists were killed; many were arrested. Some escaped, but are being pursued,” the state minister said.
Ban on gatherings, face masks
In the wake of the attacks, the Balochistan government has imposed a ban on gatherings, processions and sit-ins of five or more people across the province for one month.
According to a Home Department order issued on Sunday, a ban was also imposed on covering faces in public places by using mufflers, masks or any other means that obstruct identification
The display or use of weapons, pillion riding, the use of tinted glasses on vehicles, and the use of unregistered vehicles were also prohibited under the order.
The bans were placed under Section 144 (power to issue order absolute) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
US remains Pakistan’s ‘steadfast partner’ in efforts to ensure peace
Earlier in the day, US Charge de’ Affaires Natalie Baker strongly condemned the Balochistan terrorist attacks and affirmed that the United States remained a “steadfast partner” of Pakistan in efforts to ensure peace.
“The United States strongly condemns January 31 attacks and acts of terrorist violence against security personnel and civilians in Balochistan, claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation,” Baker said on X.
On behalf of the US, she extended condolences to the victims of terrorism, their families and all those affected. “The Pakistani people deserve to live free from violence and fear,” she said.
Baker added: “The United States remains a steadfast partner of Pakistan in its efforts to ensure peace and stability. We stand in solidarity with Pakistan during this difficult time.”
In August 2025, the US also designated the BLA and its Majeed Brigade squad as foreign terrorist organisations (FTOs).
Besides the US, the British High Commission, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran have also condemned the latest terrorist activities.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Iranian embassy in Pakistan strongly condemned the “recent terrorist attacks leading to the martyrdom of a number of innocent civilians and brave security personnel and soldiers”.
It conveyed Iran’s “sincere and deepest condolences and sympathy to the government and the honourable people of Pakistan, particularly to the bereaved families”. It also extended prayers for the martyrs and the injured.
The statement affirmed that Iran, “as a matter of principle, unequivocally condemns all forms of terrorism, which remains a serious threat and concern for the international community”.
“Such heinous acts, often supported by extraterritorial actors, must be confronted through collective regional and international cooperation,” it noted.
Additional input by Abdullah Zehri
