A series of gun and bomb attacks across Pakistan's south-western Balochistan province have killed 31 civilians and 17 security service personnel, according to the region's Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. Security forces responding to the violence killed at least 145 attackers during a 40-hour gun battle. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) had claimed responsibility for the attacks, asserting they killed dozens of soldiers.
These attacks mark an escalation of violence in the impoverished but resource-rich province, which has been the battleground for an ethnic insurgency against the Pakistani government for decades. Pakistan has accused India of supporting the BLA, a claim firmly denied by Delhi.
The assault included grenade and gunfire attacks targeting hospitals, schools, banks, and markets in provincial capital Quetta and other localities. Attacks were reportedly conducted by armed men posing as civilians, who also employed civilians as human shields while opening fire at security installations.
Amidst the chaos, key administrative buildings in Quetta were sealed off, mobile phone services disrupted, and regional train services suspended. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the military's response and reaffirmed commitment to combatting terrorism in the region. The BLA, claiming a coordinated operation dubbed 'Herof,' asserted it killed 84 members of security forces and kidnapped 18—claims unverified by independent sources.
Local activists and insurgents accuse the Pakistani federal government of exploiting Balochistan’s abundant mineral wealth while neglecting local community needs, amid allegations of enforced disappearances by security forces, which Islamabad denies. Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province, rich in resources and home to about 5% of the national population.
These attacks mark an escalation of violence in the impoverished but resource-rich province, which has been the battleground for an ethnic insurgency against the Pakistani government for decades. Pakistan has accused India of supporting the BLA, a claim firmly denied by Delhi.
The assault included grenade and gunfire attacks targeting hospitals, schools, banks, and markets in provincial capital Quetta and other localities. Attacks were reportedly conducted by armed men posing as civilians, who also employed civilians as human shields while opening fire at security installations.
Amidst the chaos, key administrative buildings in Quetta were sealed off, mobile phone services disrupted, and regional train services suspended. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the military's response and reaffirmed commitment to combatting terrorism in the region. The BLA, claiming a coordinated operation dubbed 'Herof,' asserted it killed 84 members of security forces and kidnapped 18—claims unverified by independent sources.
Local activists and insurgents accuse the Pakistani federal government of exploiting Balochistan’s abundant mineral wealth while neglecting local community needs, amid allegations of enforced disappearances by security forces, which Islamabad denies. Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province, rich in resources and home to about 5% of the national population.
