KSRelief launches $1 million Ramadan food program in southwestern Pakistan 

Beneficiaries in Punjab receive food packages from KSRelief on April 27, 2020. (SPA)
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Updated 05 April 2021
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KSRelief launches $1 million Ramadan food program in southwestern Pakistan 

  • The program will benefit about 124,200 people in ten districts of the impoverished Balochistan province
  • Pakistan is the fifth-largest recipient of aid from the Saudi-based international aid agency

ISLAMABAD: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Center (KSRelief) on Monday launched a Ramadan food distribution project worth $1 million for Pakistan’s impoverished southwestern province of Balochistan, Pakistan’s state-run news agency APP reported.

Since 2015, KSRelief has provided humanitarian and development assistance to millions of beneficiaries in more than 49 countries, spending around $3.25 billion on 1,011 projects. The aid group has partnered with a number of humanitarian organizations including, World Food Program, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund, International Committee of the Red Cross and many others.

Pakistan is the fifth-largest recipient of aid from the Saudi-based international aid agency and has received more than $120.2 million in aid. 

APP said the Ramadan food project was being executed in collaboration with Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the local government of Balochistan and would benefit about 124,200 people in 10 districts of the province.
It added that food bags would be distributed door-to-door under the supervision of KSRelief and there would be no large gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each bag distributed by KSRelief will contain 20 kilograms of flour, 5 kg rice, five liters of cooking oil, 5 kg sugar, 2 kg of gram flour, 2 kg dates and nearly one kilogram of black tea.


Security forces kill four militants in Pakistan’s volatile southwest, military says

Updated 13 January 2026
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Security forces kill four militants in Pakistan’s volatile southwest, military says

  • Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency
  • The Balochistan government has recently established a threat assessment center to strengthen early warning, prevent ‘terrorism’ incidents

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces gunned down four militants in an intelligence-based operation in the southwestern Balochistan province, the military said on Tuesday.

The operation was conducted in Balochistan’s Kalat district on reports about the presence of militants, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.

The “Indian-sponsored militants” were killed in an exchange of fire during the operation, while weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the deceased, who remained actively involved in numerous militant activities.

“Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored terrorist found in the area,” the ISPR said in a statement.

There was no immediate response from New Delhi to the statement.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency involving Baloch separatist groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).

Pakistan accuses India of supporting these separatist militant groups and describes them as “Fitna Al-Hindustan.” New Delhi denies the allegation.

The government in Balochistan has also established a state-of-the-art threat assessment center to strengthen early warning and prevention against “terrorism” incidents, a senior official said this week.

“Information that was once scattered is now shared and acted upon in time, allowing the state to move from reacting after incidents to preventing them before they occur,” Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat wrote on X.

The development follows a steep rise in militancy-related deaths in Pakistan in 2025. According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) last month, combat-related deaths in 2025 rose 73 percent to 3,387.

These included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees, the think tank said.