ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants attempting to enter the country through its border with Afghanistan in the southwestern Balochistan province, the Pakistan military said on Thursday.
Islamabad frequently accuses neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks. The Taliban government in Kabul says it does not allow Afghan soil to be used by militants, insisting that Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
In the latest incident, the Pakistan army said security forces had picked up on the movement of a group of militants who were attempting to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on the night between Jan 22. and 23 in Balochistan’s Zhob District. Six militants were killed, it said, and a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and explosives was recovered.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the army said. “Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfill its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
The Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have frequently targeted Pakistani forces in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The group also has some presence in Balochistan, the site of a low-level insurgency for decades by separatists fighting for the province’s independence.
On Jan. 19, Pakistani security forces killed five militants as they tried to infiltrate Pakistan’s border in Zhob district.
Pakistan says three militants killed trying to infiltrating its border with Afghanistan
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Pakistan says three militants killed trying to infiltrating its border with Afghanistan
- Islamabad frequently accuses Afghanistan of sheltering, supporting militant groups that launch cross-border attacks
- Afghan officials deny state complicity, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad
Pakistan drops 8,000 MW power procurement, claims $17 billion savings amid IMF-driven reforms
- Government says decision taken “on merit” as it seeks to cut losses, circular debt, ease consumer pressure
- Power minister says losses fell from $2.1 billion to $1.4 billion, circular debt dropped by $2.8 billion
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has abandoned plans to procure around 8,000 megawatts of expensive electricity, the power minister said on Sunday, adding that the decision was taken “purely on merit” and would save about $17 billion.
The power sector has long been a major source of Pakistan’s fiscal stress, driven by surplus generation capacity, costly contracts and mounting circular debt. Reforming electricity pricing, reducing losses and limiting new liabilities are central conditions under an ongoing $7 billion IMF program approved in 2024.
Pakistan has historically contracted more power generation than it consumes, forcing the government to make large capacity payments even for unused electricity. These obligations have contributed to rising tariffs, budgetary pressure and repeated IMF bailouts over the past two decades.
“The government has abandoned the procurement of around 8000 megawatts of expensive electricity purely on merit, which will likely to save 17 billion dollars,” Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari said while addressing a news conference in Islamabad, according to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan.
He said the federal government was also absorbing losses incurred by power distribution companies rather than passing them on to consumers.
The minister said the government’s reform drive was already showing results, with losses reduced from Rs586 billion ($2.1 billion) to Rs393 billion ($1.4 billion), while circular debt declined by Rs780 billion ($2.8 billion) last year. Recoveries, he added, had improved by Rs183 billion ($660 million).
Leghari said electricity tariffs had been reduced by 20 percent at the national level over the past two years and expressed confidence that prices would be aligned with international levels within the next 18 months.
Power sector reform has been one of the most politically sensitive elements of Pakistan’s IMF-backed adjustment program, with higher tariffs and tighter enforcement weighing on households and industry. The government says cutting losses, improving recoveries and avoiding costly new capacity are essential to stabilizing public finances and restoring investor confidence.
