Pakistan’s Balochistan establishes threat assessment center amid surge in militant attacks

Security personnel inspect the site after militants detonated an explosive-laden motorbike along a road in Quetta on March 27, 2025. (AFP/File)
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Updated 12 January 2026
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Pakistan’s Balochistan establishes threat assessment center amid surge in militant attacks

  • Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Center brings police, CTD, intelligence agencies together on one platform, says official
  • Says center helps disrupt terror financing, narcotics trafficking, organized crime and enables action against unregulated communication networks

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province has established a state-of-the-art threat assessment center to strengthen early warning and prevention against “terrorism” incidents, a senior official said on Monday amid a surge in militant attacks recently. 

Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat wrote on social media platform X that the Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Center (PIFTAC Balochistan) brings police, the counter-terrorism department (CTD), intelligence agencies and civil administration together on one platform for real-time information sharing and joint analysis. 

“PIFTAC strengthens early warning and prevention against terrorism, helps disrupt terror financing, narcotics trafficking, and organized crime, and enables coordinated action against illegal spectrum and unregulated communication networks,” he wrote.

“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.”

The development takes place amid a steep rise in combat-related deaths in Pakistan during 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 deaths included 2,115 militants, 664 security forces personnel, 580 civilians and 28 members of pro-government peace committees, the local think tank said. 

Pakistan military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry last week highlighted Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts in 2025, saying that security forces had conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) and killed 2,597 militants last year. He also said Pakistan reported 5,397 “terrorism incidents” last year. 

Pakistan frequently accuses Afghanistan of allowing militant groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) to operate from its soil, charges Kabul has repeatedly denied.

Islamabad also accuses India of backing these militant groups against Pakistan. New Delhi rejects the allegations. 


Pakistan, Qatar seize 4.48 kg cocaine at Islamabad airport in joint anti-narcotics operation

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Pakistan, Qatar seize 4.48 kg cocaine at Islamabad airport in joint anti-narcotics operation

  • Female passenger arrested after arriving from Sharjah via Doha, handler detained outside terminal
  • Pakistan lies along regional trafficking routes connecting the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have seized about 4.48 kilograms of cocaine at Islamabad International Airport and arrested two suspects in a joint operation coordinated with Qatar, Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) said on Tuesday.

Pakistan lies along regional trafficking routes connecting the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, with airports — particularly transit hubs such as Doha — frequently used to move narcotics through couriers. Authorities say recent years have seen rising interceptions of cocaine shipments destined for urban markets.

“Following the GCC Conference on Counter Narcotics held at Islamabad in April 2025, Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Pakistan, in coordination with Qatari counterparts, has conducted a joint intelligence-based operation at Islamabad International Airport,” the ANF said in a statement.

“Operation underscores the effectiveness of enhanced intelligence sharing and operational coordination between Pakistan and Qatar in countering transnational drug trafficking,” the ANF added. 

“Cocaine — a highly dangerous and expensive narcotic, often linked to elite consumption — is increasingly being trafficked into Pakistan. ANF remains vigilant in monitoring and disrupting its inflow.”

The force said officers intercepted a Pakistani woman arriving from Sharjah via Doha after receiving shared intelligence and recovered cocaine concealed in a hand-carried trolley bag.

During questioning, investigators said the passenger identified a handler waiting outside the arrivals area, after which authorities detained a second suspect and seized a vehicle.

Investigators said the bag had allegedly been handed to the courier during transit at Hamad International Airport in Doha by a foreign national on instructions from handlers based in the United Arab Emirates, and that coordinated investigations were underway in both countries.

The ANF said the case highlighted cross-border trafficking networks using international transit routes and couriers, adding that the suspects and seized narcotics would remain in custody pending further investigation.