ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province announced on Sunday that security forces had killed 145 militants in 40 hours after militant attacks in many parts of Balochistan this week, vowing that the government will continue fighting militancy. 

Separatist militants launched attacks in various areas of Balochistan province on Friday and Saturday, Pakistan’s military said in an earlier statement, prompting security forces to respond. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistani forces carried out operations in Panjgur and Harnai areas on Friday to kill 41 militants. 

On Saturday, it said 92 more militants were killed in Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump and Pasni areas as security forces repelled coordinated attacks on civilians and law enforcers. 

Pakistan’s military said the attacks were launched by “Indian-sponsored Fitna al Hindustan,” a reference the military frequently uses for the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militant group. The BLA also issued a statement on Saturday, saying it had launched what it called “Operation Herof 2.0,” claiming responsibility for attacks in multiple locations across Balochistan.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accused India of being behind the attacks, blaming New Delhi for planning the militant attacks in the province. India has always refuted Pakistan’s allegations of backing militant outfits in the country. 

“We managed to kill 145 terrorists in 40 hours,” Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti told reporters during a news conference. 

He said 17 law enforcement personnel, which included policemen, Frontier Corps personnel and a navy serviceman, were killed in the attacks. Civilian casualties totaled 31, he added.

The chief minister praised security forces for killing over 1,500 militants last year and conducting over 58,000 intelligence-based operations across Balochistan.

Bugti vowed that the government would not surrender to militants and would continue to fight them until they are eliminated. 

“We will fight this war for 1,000 years,” he said. “This country is ours. This is our motherland. We will fight for it.”

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has faced a decades-long insurgency by separatist militant groups, with Pakistani authorities frequently accusing foreign actors of backing the violence. India has repeatedly denied such allegations.

Islamabad says separatist elements hide in sanctuaries in neighboring Afghanistan, along with the Pakistani Taliban militant group, and launch attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations. 

Ethnic Baloch militant groups such as the BLA demand independence from Pakistan. They blame Islamabad for denying the local Baloch population a share in the province’s mineral wealth. 

Pakistan’s federal government and the military deny the allegations and point to several social and economic projects undertaken by the government for the benefit of the masses in Balochistan.