Quetta (February 1): At least 92 militants were killed and 15 security personnel lost their lives in fierce clashes between Pakistan’s security forces and insurgent fighters across the troubled province of Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed. The violence erupted after coordinated militant attacks struck multiple districts including Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar and Pasni.
According to military sources, militants also targeted civilian areas, leading to the deaths of at least 18 civilians, including women and children in places such as Gwadar and Kharan.
The banned separatist group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for many of the assaults, which included suicide bombings and gunfire directed at high-security facilities, police stations and paramilitary outposts, marking one of the deadliest days of unrest in the region in years.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused foreign actors of orchestrating the attacks, alleging they were supported by external governments — a claim rejected by New Delhi.
The clashes underscore the ongoing separatist insurgency in Balochistan, an impoverished but resource-rich province that has long been the site of violent confrontations between militants and state forces.
