Twelve terrorists have so far been neutralised and many others left injured as security forces responded to attacks carried out at several places across Balochistan, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Monday.
“In Balochistan, terrorists have carried out cowardly attacks at several places,” the report said, without specifying the locations of the attacks.
“Security forces and law enforcement agencies responded effectively to these attacks,” Radio Pakistan said, adding that the operation would continue until the terrorists were eliminated.
The development comes after armed men attacked Levies and police stations in Mastung, Kalat, Pasni and Suntsar late on Sunday night.
Reports of blasts and grenade attacks were also received from Sibi, Panjgur, Mastung, Turbat, Bela, and Quetta. Officials said armed men blew up a railway track linking Pakistan with Iran at the bypass area of Mastung.
Later, the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The overnight incidents across the Kalat district left 11 people, including security personnel, dead and injured six others, according to Kalat Superintendent of Police (SP) Dostain Dashti.
Reports further said that armed men had attacked the Pasni police station and after thrashing personnel, burnt three vehicles and motorcycles parked there.
Another police station in Suntsar, a coastal town of Gwadar, was ransacked and the attackers took away official weapons.
Officials said that armed men attacked Levies Thana Khadkocha and took personnel hostage there, while in Kalat, armed men exchanged fire with law enforcement agencies.
According to SP Dashti, four Levies sepoys — Ahsanullah, Ali Akbar, Rehmatullah and Nasibullah — were among those martyred in the clashes.
Police sub-inspector Huzoor Baksh, a tribal elder and two civilians were also among those who lost their lives, Dashti said.
Kalat Assistant Commissioner Aftab Lasi was injured in an exchange of fire, district commissioner Naeem Bazai had earlier confirmed to Dawn, adding that the official was in stable condition.
SP Dashti said today that another four Levies personnel were also injured.
According to the SP, armed men attacked the hotel and house of a tribal person in the Mehlabi area of Kalat, resulting in the death of Malik Zubair Mohammad Hosni.
The clashes occurred along various points of the Quetta-Karachi highway, the SP said, adding that the route has been closed to traffic. An emergency has been imposed in hospitals.
The bodies and the injured have been shifted to Kalat Civil Hospital, said hospital official Ziaur Rehman.
Security concerns have heightened after back-to-back incidents of terrorism, including the killing of 23 passengers in Balochistan’s Musakhail after conducting identity checks earlier today.
In a statement issued by his ministry on social media platform X, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi vowed to “bring forward the facts along with evidence after investigations” into the attacks.
“These destructive incidents are a conspiracy to create instability in Pakistan. The enemy wants to create anarchy in the country under a well-thought plan,” Naqvi said.
Vowing to take “every possible step” to restore law and order in Balochistan, the minister asserted: “The terrorists and their enablers would not be able to find a place to hide.”
Naqvi further said he was in contact with the Balochistan government and that effective steps were being taken to “maintain an atmosphere of peace” in the province.
“If someone thinks that by such cowardly acts, they can defeat the nation’s unwavering determination, they are mistaken,” Naqvi said.
He added that the law and order situation in Balochistan was being monitored on a regular basis.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attacks and expressed his deep grief on the martyrdom of policemen and Levies personnel.
In a statement, he directed 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.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the terrorism incidents in “Razmik Bazaar, North Waziristan and Kalat.
Conveying his sympathies to the bereaved families, 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.
Paying tribute to the martyred security men in a statement issued by his ministry, Naqvi expressed his grief on “five civilians” losing their lives.
“The sacrifices of the martyred will always be remembered,” the interior minister said.
“The enemy is carrying out a heinous conspiracy to create instability in the country. We will thwart the nefarious aims with the power of unity,” he asserted.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
Additional input from Nadir Guramani
