QUETTA: Pakistan on Saturday vowed to bring what it described as “Indian-sponsored” militants to justice, as federal and provincial leaders met in Quetta to address a growing wave of insurgent attacks in Balochistan, the country’s largest and most volatile province.
Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is strategically significant due to its vast mineral resources and its role as a transit hub for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, the province has long been plagued by a separatist insurgency, with militant groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) intensifying their attacks in recent years.
Islamabad describes these groups as proxies for Indian intelligence, branding them “Fitna-e-Hindustan”, or India’s mischief. New Delhi denies any nexus with these groups.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti held a high-level law and order meeting to review the ongoing counterterror operations and the implementation of a new Provincial Action Plan aimed at stabilizing the region.
“Indian-sponsored terrorists and their facilitators have no place to hide in Pakistan and will be brought to justice at all costs,” Naqvi said while chairing the meeting, according to an official statement. “Those challenging the writ of the state will be dealt with an iron hand.”
The interior minister said the federal government stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the Balochistan government in its war, adding that full coordination exists between national and provincial authorities.
Bugti briefed the meeting on Balochistan’s Provincial Action Plan, which he also mentioned earlier this month.
He noted that it focused on intelligence-led operations, faster threat response, and outreach to disaffected youth. It also highlighted bureaucratic and operational bottlenecks that have hindered previous efforts.
“This war is not only the responsibility of the security forces but of the entire nation,” he said. “The sacrifices of our people and institutions will not go in vain.”
Balochistan has witnessed several high-profile militant attacks since the beginning of the year. Among them, a passenger train hijack by the BLA in March and a suicide bombing in May targeting a school bus in Khuzdar that killed several children made international headlines.
The separatist insurgents also routinely target security forces, civilians, and non-local workers in coordinated and targeted attacks.
