ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interior minister said on Wednesday security forces had killed 13 militants in two operations in the southwestern province of Balochistan, blaming what he called “Indian-sponsored terrorists” for unrest in the region.
The news of the operations comes a day after a suicide bombing killed at least 10 people outside the headquarters of a paramilitary force in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.
Islamabad alleges that militant groups are backed by arch-rival India and neighboring Afghanistan to stoke violence in the Balochistan region where Pakistan is seeking international investments in mines and minerals, a charge New Delhi and Kabul deny.
“Mohsin Naqvi pays tribute to the security forces on two successful operations against Indian-sponsored terrorists in Balochistan,” his ministry said in a statement.
“The security forces, through successful operations, foiled the nefarious designs of Indian-sponsored terrorists," it added, quoting the minister.
“For the establishment of peace in Balochistan, the security forces have achieved remarkable successes against Indian-sponsored terrorists. Operations by the security forces to eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorists will continue.”
The violence in Pakistan is multi-faceted.
Balochistan hosts a long-running separatist insurgency by militant groups protesting Islamabad’s control of local resources and demanding greater autonomy. The government says it is working for the province's development.
Separately, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and affiliated militant groups have stepped up attacks in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since the fall of the US-backed Afghan government in 2021, using safe havens across the border to launch strikes inside Pakistan, according to Islamabad. Kabul denies the allegations.
Balochistan is mineral-rich and home to Gwadar Port, built by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $65 billion investment in President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to expand China's global reach by road, rail and sea.
Both Taliban militants and separatist insurgents, who operate in the region, have stepped up their attacks in recent months.
