Pakistani security forces have conducted a sweeping counterterrorism operation in the volatile southwestern province of Balochistan, resulting in the deaths of 145 militants allegedly backed by Indian intelligence. The intensive 40-hour campaign, which concluded on Sunday, represents the most significant single counterinsurgency achievement in decades according to provincial authorities.
The operation was launched in direct response to coordinated suicide bombings and armed assaults that claimed 33 lives on Saturday, including 18 civilians and 15 security personnel. Among the civilian casualties were five women and three children, highlighting the brutal nature of the attacks that targeted both security infrastructure and residential areas.
Sarfraz Bugti, Balochistan’s Chief Minister, identified the eliminated fighters as members of the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which Pakistani officials refer to as ‘Fitna al-Hindustan’ or ‘Indian Mischief.’ Bugti revealed that some of the deceased militants were Afghan nationals, reinforcing Pakistan’s longstanding allegations of cross-border terrorist support.
The attacks occurred in a region critical to Pakistan’s economic ambitions, where the government has been actively seeking foreign investment in mining and mineral extraction. This security challenge emerges just months after a major U.S. metals corporation finalized a $500 million investment agreement with Pakistan in September 2025.
Residents described scenes of terror as armed militants roamed freely before security forces intervened. ‘It was a very scary day in the history of Quetta,’ recounted local resident Khan Muhammad, reflecting the panic that gripped the provincial capital.
Bugti reiterated accusations against both India and Afghanistan, claiming senior BLA leadership operates from Afghan territory despite Taliban commitments under the 2020 Doha agreement to prevent such cross-border operations. These allegations occur against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, including recent Pakistani airstrikes on alleged terrorist hideouts inside Afghan territory.
The BLA, designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department in August 2025, has conducted numerous attacks targeting security forces, Chinese interests, and infrastructure projects in the resource-rich province. The group is part of a long-standing separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch groups seeking greater autonomy or independence from Pakistan’s central government.