Deadly Pakistan Clashes Claim 193 Lives

(MENAFN) Pakistan's Balochistan province witnessed one of its bloodiest confrontations with insurgents in recent history, as a wave of coordinated militant assaults across multiple districts left 145 attackers dead alongside dozens of others, provincial authorities confirmed Sunday.

Mir Sarfraz Bugti, Balochistan's Chief Minister, disclosed the grim casualty figures during a press briefing in Quetta, the region's administrative center. The violence erupted Saturday when armed militants launched synchronized strikes targeting 12 separate locations throughout the sprawling province.

"17 law enforcement personnel, including a navy troop, were killed in clashes with militants who carried out coordinated attacks at 12 locations on Saturday," Bugti stated at the news conference.

The assault's civilian toll proved devastating, with Bugti reporting that "31 civilians, including women and children, were killed by militants." He emphasized that the latest militant casualties were "the highest in a single day since the country began its 'war on terror.'"

The violence spread across nine districts—Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar, and Pasni—spanning vast stretches of the mineral-wealthy province.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist organization with an extensive record of targeting government forces in the resource-laden territory, has reportedly taken credit for orchestrating the aggressive operations.

Pakistan has experienced intensifying militant activity in recent years, with its western and southwestern territories bearing the brunt of escalating violence. The capital, Islamabad, maintains that rival nation India plays a role in fueling the persistent turmoil plaguing both Balochistan and the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province—allegations New Delhi categorically rejects.

The BLA alongside allied militant organizations have sustained an armed campaign demanding Balochistan's separation from Pakistan. The province represents 42% of Pakistan's total landmass, making it the nation's largest administrative division.

Bugti revealed that "1,500 militants were killed in security operations across Balochistan last year," underscoring the sustained intensity of counterinsurgency efforts in the region.

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