QUETTA, Pakistan: Pakistani security forces overnight killed six militants of a separatist group in a raid at their hideout in the mountains of southwestern Balochistan province, the military said Saturday.
Counterterrorism police arrested three others from the same group, the Balochistan Liberation Army, in a separate operation, the military said in a statement.
The statement said the Saturday raid was conducted in the district of Kharan based on credible intelligence that terrorists were hiding out in the area. It said a shootout erupted after the militants opened fire on Frontier Corps troops. Six militants, including two commanders, were killed and a large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered, the statement said.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, one of the main separatist groups in the province, has waged an insurgency in the mineral and gas rich province for nearly two decades. It confirmed in a statement that the group’s six men were killed in the ongoing security forces operation in a mountainous area of Kharan district. The BLA and other groups want to separate from Islamabad.
Counterterrorism police in Balochistan’s Turbat area Friday night arrested three members of the BLA who they said were involved in facilitating attacks on security forces and civilians.
The police statement said the three men were also involved in last month’s suicide attack in the port city of Gwadar that killed four children playing alongside the road. The attack targeted a security forces convoy escorting Chinese nationals and one Chinese was wounded in the attack. Counterterrorism police said the arrested men were also involved in an attack on a luxury hotel in Gwadar in 2019.
Counterterrorism police in eastern Punjab province said that during operations across the province they arrested eight members of banned militant and sectarian groups involved in spreading hate and jihadist literature. They were also in possession of arms and ammunition and were collecting funds for banned groups, police said.
Security troops kill 6 separatists in raid in southwestern Pakistan
https://arab.news/vhpee
Security troops kill 6 separatists in raid in southwestern Pakistan
- The military said the operation conducted in Balochistan’s Kharan district was based on credible intelligence that militants were hiding in the area
- The raid took place after the province’s counterterrorism police captured three people who allegedly facilitated suicide bombings in Balochistan
Pakistan says Indian minister initiated handshake in Dhaka, first contact since May conflict
- Pakistan’s Ayaz Sadiq and India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met on the sidelines of Khaleda Zia’s funeral
- The National Assembly of Pakistan says Islamabad has consistently emphasized dialogue with New Delhi
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Wednesday Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar initiated a brief handshake with Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in Dhaka, marking the first high-level contact between the two nuclear-armed rivals since their military conflict in May.
The encounter took place on the sidelines of the funeral of former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia, attended by senior officials and diplomats from multiple countries.
Ties between India and Pakistan have remained frozen since a four-day military confrontation in May, during which both sides exchanged missile, drone and air strikes before a ceasefire brokered by Washington.
“During Speaker NA Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s visit to the Parliament of Bangladesh ... the Indian External Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar approached the Speaker National Assembly and [shook] hands,” Pakistan’s National Assembly said in a post on social media platform X.
It added that Jaishankar introduced himself to Sadiq during the brief interaction. India has not commented publicly on the exchange.
“It is noteworthy that Pakistan has consistently emphasized dialogue, restraint, and cooperative measures, including proposals for peace talks,” the post continued.
Tensions between the two neighbors escalated in April after a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed more than 20 tourists. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for supporting the attack, an allegation Islamabad denied, calling instead for an independent and transparent investigation.
Officials from both countries have largely avoided public interactions since the conflict, with senior figures refraining from handshakes or exchanges at international gatherings.
Sadiq was in Dhaka to attend Zia’s funeral and to convey condolences from Pakistan’s leadership and people. He also met Zia’s son Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, according to Pakistan’s high commission in Bangladesh.
Speaking to Pakistan’s Geo TV, Sadiq confirmed that Jaishankar approached him in full media glare and exchanged pleasantries.
Responding to a question about being photographed with the Indian minister, he said: “Cameras arrived with them. Our people took the photographs later.”
