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Terror gripped Balochistan on Monday as militants killed at least 38 people, including 23 passengers in Musa Khel, in a spate of attacks, the provincial chief minister said.
“Let me tell you, it is not a case of Baloch having killed Punjabis but terrorists have martyred Pakistanis. The terrorist has no nation and no tribe,” Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti told reporters as he mentioned the above mentioned death toll.
The deadly assault started late Sunday night, with militants blocking vehicles on highways.
Government officials reported deadly attacks in multiple districts targeting civilians in impoverished Balochistan, where security forces are battling sectarian, ethnic and separatist violence.
The violence began late in the evening, with Levies and police stations in Mastung, Kalat, Pasni, and Suntsar coming under attack, resulting in numerous casualties.
As the night progressed, the situation deteriorated, with reports of explosions and grenade attacks in several other cities, including Sibi, Panjgur, Mastung, Turbat, Bela, and Quetta. Terrorists also managed to blow up a railway track near Mastung.
“We have confirmed 39 people killed in several coordinated attacks carried out by the terrorists,” Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the Balochistan provincial government, told AFP.
But the grim toll continued to mount, with six bodies discovered in the Bolan district later in the day. In a statement, the military revealed that 21 terrorists had been killed during clearance operations, but tragically, 14 security personnel, including four from law enforcement agencies, had been martyred.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed the government’s determination to hold the perpetrators accountable, stating that they had a “good idea” of who orchestrated these coordinated and well-planned attacks. “They have carried out all these attacks in a single day in a clear and well-thought-out manner,” Naqvi asserted.
At least 23 passengers were shot dead after being pulled off trucks and buses at a checkpoint near Rara Sham in Musakhel district of Balochistan.
The assailants stopped trucks and buses, forced passengers off, and then opened fire, killing all of them, according to Musa Khel SSP Ayub Achakazai. All victims are reported to be from different parts of Punjab. The assailants also set fire to over 10 vehicles before fleeing the scene.
Loralai Commissioner Saadat Hassan confirmed the killing and stated that 23 bodies were at the Raada Sham Basic Health Unit.
In Musa Khel district, between 30 and 40 gunmen stopped 22 buses, vans and trucks one after the other on a highway connecting Punjab with Balochistan, senior official Najibullah Kakar said.
“Vehicles travelling to and from Punjab were inspected, and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot,” he told AFP.
In a separate incident, armed men set up another checkpoint on the National Highway near Raada Sham and abducted six passengers from a Daewoo bus traveling from Quetta to Faisalabad in Punjab. Two more passengers were abducted from a pickup truck during a search.
According to a passenger, the assailants checked the passengers’ identity cards before abducting them. The abductees are also from Punjab.
The assailants, estimated to be between 20 and 25 in number, blocked the National Highway for over an hour.
The military’s media wing said 10 soldiers and four law enforcement agencies personnel were martyred, although did not make clear if they died in the original attacks or subsequent clearance operations.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations said that terrorists attempted to conduct numerous heinous activities in Balochistan late Sunday night that continued till the wee hours of Monday.
“On the behest of inimical and hostile forces, these cowardly acts of terrorism were aimed at disrupting the peaceful environment and development of Balochistan by targeting mainly the innocent civilians, especially in Musa Khel, Kalat and Labela districts,” it said.
In the Musa Khel district, terrorists stopped a bus in general area of Rara Sham and “maliciously targeted innocent citizens” working in Balochistan to earn their livelihood.
Militants also attacked Levies and police stations in Mastung, Kalat, Pasni and Suntsar, according to media reports. Reports of blasts and grenade attacks were also received from Sibi, Panjgur, Mastung, Turbat, Bela, and Quetta.
“Security forces and law enforcement agencies immediately responded and successfully thwarted the evil design of terrorists and sent twenty-one terrorists to hell in ensuing clearance operations, ensuring security and protection of local populace.
However, during the conduct of operations, fourteen brave sons of soil including ten Security Forces soldiers and four personnel of law enforcement agencies, having fought gallantly, made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced shahadat,“ it said.
The ISPR statement added that sanitisation operations were being conducted and the “instigators, perpetrators, facilitators and abettors” of such acts, targeting innocent civilians, would be brought to justice.
“Security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan in step with the nation remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it said.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for an overnight operation in a statement sent to AFP.
Militants also blew up a railway bridge in nearby Bolan district on a track that connects the province to Punjab and Sindh, with six dead bodies found nearby, said Javed Baloch, a senior government official in the district.
Ten people were also killed in Kalat district, including four paramilitary officers and one policeman, provincial government spokesman Rind said.
Nabi Baksh, from the Levies paramilitary force that works alongside the police, said gunmen had stormed a hotel and also targeted a village elder with perceived links to the security forces.
Balochistan despite an abundance of untapped natural resources lags behind the rest of the country in education, employment and economic development.
Balochistan Chief Minister said that those who killed Punjabis in a series of attacks were terrorists, not Baloch, stressing that the state would take “strict action” to bring them to justice.
“Let me tell you, it is not a case of Baloch having killed Punjabis but terrorists have martyred Pakistanis. The terrorist has no nation and no tribe,” he told reporters in Quetta
He added that check posts would be established on national highways to ensure the protection of people during travelling in the province.
Bugti stated the operation was “still going on” in two places to bring anti-peace elements to justice.
“Militants have also martyred Pashtuns and Balochs, after these incidents, it is time to think for those who have a soft spot for terrorists,” he said and added that they were targeting the common citizens on the roads and then run away after a few minutes.
“We have already said that our doors are open for negotiations, but nothing is accepted by the force of the gun. If there is any conflict, it can be resolved through negotiations, here, there is a gun on one side, then how is the problem political? Yes, of course, if there are problems with political people, we can sit down and talk,” he said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that the Balochistan government was in “constant” contact and the recent attackers were not disgruntled Baloch, but rather terrorists.
At a press conference, Naqvi asserted that the security forces have thwarted the “nefarious designs of the terrorists and they would respond to such extremists. He made it clear that no concessions “will be made to these terrorists.”
The interior minister went on to add that the government plans to appease the disgruntled Baloch and was willing to engage with them. He acknowledged the involvement of “external elements” in the incidents occurring in Balochistan, stating that the recent events were “well-planned.”
He said: “Those who are discontent, we will talk to them and the federal and provincial governments will take them forward together but under no circumstances will these attackers be called discontent Baloch.”
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the terrorism incidents in “Razmik Bazaar, North Waziristan and Kalat.
The president vowed in a statement to continue efforts to “completely eradicate terrorism”. He prayed for the deceased and their families, as well as wished speedy recovery to the injured.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks and was grieved on the martyrdom of policemen and Levies personnel.
In a statement, he said that the wounded be provided with the best medical facilities. He also ordered that a probe be launched into the attacks to identify and punish the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that those in Balochistan fighting the case of missing persons and staging sit-ins there should speak about the unjust bloodshed in the province.
“Stage your protests, but also show solidarity with those whose loved ones fell victim to terrorism in Balochistan today,” he wrote on X.
Kiyya Baloch, an analyst and former journalist tracking violence in Balochistan, said authorities are solely using force to suppress the two-decade conflict instead of seeking political solutions.
“This approach has led to increased retaliation from the youth and has caused the insurgency to gain momentum rather than diminish,” he told AFP.
“Never before have so many coordinated attacks occurred simultaneously across multiple districts of Balochistan,” he said.
Eleven Punjabi labourers were killed when they were abducted from a bus in the city of Naushki in April, and six Punjabis working as barbers were shot in May.
Twin blasts in Balochistan killed 28 people on the eve of national elections in February and were claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group.
Protests led by ethnic Baloch are staged regularly in the province and accuse the authorities of a heavy-handed crackdown in their fight against militancy, including through mass arrests and detentions.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since the Taliban government returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2021, mostly in the northwestern border province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also in Balochistan, which abuts Afghanistan and Iran.
