Balochistan Violence

Pakistan welcomes US move to list BLA and Majeed Brigade as terrorists

The BLA is a separatist group demanding Balochistan's independence from Pakistan for decades, alleging exploitation of the region's resources and human rights abuses by security forces

At least 4 killed, 20 injured in blast in Pakistan's Balochistan province

A bomb exploded near a market in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, killing four people and injuring 20 others, according to a media report on Monday. The blast occurred near Jabbar Market in Killa Abdullah district of Balochistan on Sunday, causing extensive damage to the building and triggering widespread panic. Several shops collapsed, and fires erupted in multiple establishments following the explosion, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Killa Abdullah Deputy Commissioner Riaz Khan said four people were killed and 20 others injured in the explosion. He said that the market was located adjacent to the rear wall of the Frontier Corps (FC) Fort. Following the explosion, a brief exchange of gunfire occurred between unidentified assailants and FC personnel. Law enforcement officials sealed off the area and launched a comprehensive search and clearance operation. The injured included a security guard of tribal elder Haji Faizullah Khan Ghabizai and several bystanders. T

Death toll from oil tanker blast in Pak's Balochistan rises to eight

The death toll from a deadly oil tanker explosion in the Noshki area of the Balochistan province has risen to eight after five victims died during treatment at a private hospital in Karachi. At least one person was killed and 40 others injured when a parked oil tanker caught fire and exploded in Noshki on April 28. The Balochistan government had 24 critically wounded patients airlifted to Karachi on April 29 via Edhi Air Ambulance for specialised treatment in Karachi. A spokesperson for Edhi trust said on Friday night and Saturday morning five more victims had died. The driver was killed in the explosion while two others had died earlier this week at another private hospital for burns victims in Karachi, he said. Seventeen other patients remain under treatment in private hospitals across Karachi, according to the spokesperson, some of them are still in critical condition with 80 per cent burns. Local authorities are continuing investigations into the cause of the fire, which ...

Ten terrorists killed in Balochistan by Pakistan's security forces

Pakistan's security forces have killed 10 terrorists in two separate incidents in the country's restive Balochistan province, authorities said. The terrorists were killed in the Kech and Ziarat districts during a fresh crackdown against militant elements in the province. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the terrorists were killed during separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the districts. The operation was launched based on intelligence about the presence of militants in the area. As per details, three terrorists were killed during an operation near Turbat in Kech district. The operation was launched based on intelligence about the presence of militants in the area. The ISPR said in a statement that a heavy exchange of fire took place between security forces and armed terrorists. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the slain terrorists, who the ISPR said were involved in numerous attacks against security forces and the killing of civilians

Baloch rebels kill 8 Pakistanis in attack on car repair workshop in Iran

Eight Pakistani workers were killed by Baloch militants who stormed a car repair workshop and opened fire after tying up the victims in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province, officials said on Sunday. All eight workers hailed from several areas of Punjab, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported. It said that the armed men barged into the workshop sometime on Saturday night in a village in the Meharistan district and, after tying the workers' hands and feet, opened indiscriminate firing and killed them. Later, the attackers fled from the site. A spokesman for the banned Balochistan National Army (BNA) claimed responsibility for the killing of eight Pakistanis. The incident prompted Islamabad to demand "full cooperation" from Tehran in investigating these "inhumane and cowardly" murders. Pakistan strongly condemns the inhumane and cowardly killing of its nationals in Iran. We hope for Iranian side's full cooperation in investigating the matter and in timely repatriation of vict

Pakistan accuses India of involvement in destablising Balochistan

Pakistan on Thursday accused India of fanning terrorism in the country, and said New Delhi's involvement in destabilising Balochistan is very clear. Foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan also alleged that India has been running a global assassination campaign sponsored from their country. Indian involvement is clear. They have been involved in terrorism in Pakistan. And secondly, it's not just Pakistan, they have been trying to destabilise the entire region, all South Asian countries, Khan told a weekly press briefing here. India's involvement in fanning terrorism in Pakistan, and its involvement in destabilising Balochistan is very clear to us, he said. The remarks come days after Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants ambushed the Jaffar Express in Bolan district of Balochistan on March 11. The militants killed 21 passengers and four paramilitary soldiers before the Army eliminated all 33 terrorists on March 12. Khan said that India never condemned the attack on Jaff

Pak lodges formal protest with Kabul over train hijacking in Balochistan

Pakistan formally lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan over the use of its soil in the recent train hijacking in the restive Balochistan by Balochistan Liberation Army militants in which 21 civilians and four soldiers were killed. The Express Tribune reported quoting sources that a senior Afghan diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Office on Monday to register the protest. However, there was no official statement from the FO about the summoning of the Afghan diplomat. On March 11, terrorists attacked and hijacked the Jaffar Express at Bolan Pass, holding over 400 passengers hostage for 30 hours. The train was en route from Quetta to Peshawar. Pakistani security forces, backed by the Air Force and elite army commandos, successfully rescued over 350 passengers. However, authorities confirmed that terrorists killed 25 passengers before the operation commenced. All 33 attackers were killed during the operation. Following the attack, Pakistan stated that it had found evidence ...

Bomb blast near bus carrying security personnel in Balochistan, 5 killed

The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that over 90 personnel were killed

21 passengers, 4 soldiers, 33 militants killed as Pak army ends hijack op

Twenty-one passengers and four paramilitary soldiers were killed by militants holding hostages after seizing control of a train in Balochistan, an army general said on Wednesday. Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif told Dunya News TV that security forces killed all 33 militants present at the scene. "The armed forces successfully concluded the operation in the (Wednesday) evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers safely, Lt Gen Sharif said. He said that 21 passengers were killed by the terrorists when they attacked the train on Tuesday. He added that four paramilitary Frontier Corps soldiers were also killed in the incident. "The forces killed all 33 terrorists and secured the release of hostages, he said. The Jaffar Express, carrying some 400 passengers in nine coaches, was going from Quetta to Peshawar when militants derailed it using explosives and hijacked it near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri in a tunnel 160 kilometres from Quetta. The

Decoded: Baloch separatists and why they seek freedom from Pakistan

The Balochistan Liberation Army contends that Balochistan was forcibly annexed by Pakistan in 1948 against the will of its people, a claim central to its ongoing fight for independence

Pakistan train hijack: BLA kills 6, takes 100+ security personnel hostage

The group claimed that all civilian passengers (out of the total 450) - including women, children, the elderly, and Baloch citizens - were released unharmed and provided with a safe passage

Pak army chief visits Balochistan after 18 security personnel killed

Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir visited Balochistan on Saturday amid clashes in the restive province in which 18 security personnel and 23 terrorists have been killed in the last 24 hours, according to a media report. The army chief was given a comprehensive brief on the prevailing security situation in the province which was also attended by senior security and intelligence officials, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. The army chief along with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail offered prayers at the funeral of the slain soldiers and also visited the injured soldiers in the Combined Military Hospital Quetta, according to the Pakistan military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). No matter what these so-called frenemies' may do, you will surely be defeated by the resilience of our proud nation and its armed forces, Gen Munir said. The COAS also appreciated the efforts of the valiant officer

As China faces attacks in Pakistan, 20 Chinese killed, 34 hurt since 2021

The attacks have frustrated China, reportedly leading it to press Pakistan's federal government to open formal negotiations for a joint security management system

The roads in Pakistan's Kurram have turned into killing fields. Here's why

Kurram, Pakistan's volatile tribal district near Afghanistan, sees 42 killed in a convoy attack, pushing civilian casualties to over 120 in recent months amid sectarian tensions

Pakistan to launch comprehensive operation against militants in Balochistan

Pakistan decided to launch a comprehensive operation against militants in the southwestern province of Balochistan after a series of deadly attacks. The participants of the Federal Apex Committee of the National Action Plan on Tuesday approved a comprehensive military operation, said a statement. The target of the blitz would be the leading terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan including the Majeed Brigade, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), and Balochistan Raaji Anjou-R-Sanger (BRAS) who targeted innocent civilians and foreign nationals to scuttle Pakistan's economic progress by creating insecurity at the behest of hostile external powers. It was decided during a meeting headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by senior civil and military officials, including Army Chief General Asim Munir. The participants of the meeting, which focused on Reinvigorating Pakistan's Counter Terrorism (CT) Campaign, were briefed on the evolv

Pakistani security forces kill 12 Baloch insurgents in 2 raids hours apart

Pakistani security forces faced off with insurgents in two separate raids hours apart on their hideouts in two troubled areas in the country killing 12 militants and wounding six others, the military said Wednesday. Four insurgents were killed in the first raid in Kech, a district in the restive southwestern Balochistan province, it said in a statement. The raid in Balochistan came days after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a train station in the capital, Quetta, killing at least 26 people, including soldiers and railway staff, and wounding about 62 others, some critically. A separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army, claimed Saturday's attack, saying the bomber targeted troops present at the railway station. The outlawed BLA has long waged an insurgency seeking independence from Islamabad, and authorities had vowed to eliminate it. Also early Wednesday, troops raided a militant hideout of the Pakistani Taliban in North Waziristan, killing eight militants and wounding

Fed up with Pakistan, China may take matters into its own hands. Here's how

Chinese workers in Pakistan have been targeted by terrorist attacks twice within six months, prompting Beijing to raise security concerns at the highest diplomatic levels, but to little avail

'Unacceptable for China': Beijing publicly slams Pakistan. Here's why

Ensuring the safety and security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan under CPEC is reportedly costing Islamabad millions of dollars

Baloch human rights council demands UN intervention in Balochistan

They demanded that those responsible for crimes against humanity be brought to justice at an international court

Message for China in BLA's massive Balochistan attack? Here's what we know

Sunday night's wave of attacks in Balochistan is likely to add to the challenges Islamabad faces as it looks to revive its economy, which has faced a nearly two-year slump