Pakistan’s military said on Sunday that more than 71 militants had been killed in Balochistan over the past four days, as security forces pressed ahead with a major offensive in the restive south-western province.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said the killings occurred during Operation Shaban and other actions across the province, following a “swift operation” launched on 21 September in Ziarat and its surrounding areas based on credible intelligence, reports DAWN News.
ISPR said the campaign had dealt a serious blow to what it described as Indian-backed Afghan proxies, after intelligence agencies traced multiple hideouts used by militants in the Shaban area of Quetta district, where they had posed a threat to local residents.
The military employs the term Fitna al Khawarij for the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), while it labels Balochistan-based separatist groups as Fitna al Hindustan, a designation intended to underline what Islamabad calls New Delhi’s role in fomenting unrest and instability across Pakistan.
During the Shaban operation, troops clashed with militants and cleared several hideouts. ISPR reported that 33 fighters were killed in the fierce exchanges of fire that followed, with weapons, ammunition and explosives seized from the sites.
Over the subsequent 72 hours, the operation was stepped up further, leading to the deaths of another 23 militants.
According to the statement, security forces have cleared extensive tracts of territory and freed local communities from the threat posed by the two groups, with the clearance operation set to continue until the threat is fully neutralised.
The toll in the Shaban operation had stood at 13 on 23 September before climbing to 22 the following day.
ISPR added that a separate intelligence-based operation in Noshki on 25 September had left 11 militants dead, while six more fighters were killed in the Mand area, where a substantial cache of weapons and ammunition was also recovered.
The statement further asserted that the involvement of Afghanistan’s Taliban administration in militancy inside Pakistan, allegedly backed by India, continued to claim lives and undermine peace and stability in the country.
The counter-terrorism drive, carried out under the “Azm-i-Istehkam” strategy endorsed by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would proceed with full resolve, the military said, reaffirming the commitment of security and law enforcement agencies to rooting out foreign-backed militancy.
ISPR noted that six militants had already been killed in earlier pre-emptive operations in Kech and Quetta West on 22 and 23 September.
Balochistan has seen a surge in militant violence in recent weeks, prompting the intensified security response.
Attacks in the province rose seven per cent, from 83 in July to 89 in August, according to a monthly assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.
President Asif Ali Zardari praised the security forces for their operations against the two designated militant networks, describing the clearance of numerous hideouts as a major achievement in a statement issued by the Presidency.
He said the campaign would continue until militancy “fuelled by foreign patronage and assistance” was completely eradicated, adding that the sacrifices of the security forces were a source of national pride.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also commended the forces’ professionalism, saying the “nefarious designs” of militants had been foiled and describing the troops as a valued national asset, while vowing that operations would persist until both networks were eliminated.
