Four militants were killed in counter-terrorism operations in Kalat district of Balochistan, while an army major died in a roadside explosive attack in Gwadar district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday. The military’s media wing said the operations targeted hideouts it linked to what it called Indian-sponsored ‘Fitna Al Hindustan’.
According to the ISPR, intelligence reports pointed to several hideouts in the Jattakabad area of Kalat and in Shadi Kaur, located in Pasni tehsil of Gwadar. Security forces, it said, moved against a suspected militant position in Jattakabad on 18 October. After an intense exchange of fire, four terrorists were killed and a large cache of weapons and ammunition was recovered.
Major killed by bomb during Gwadar clearance
In a separate operation in Shadi Kaur, troops were conducting clearance activities when the lead element of the force was struck by an improvised explosive device. Major Wajahat Waheed, 34, a resident of Lahore, was killed in the blast, the ISPR said. The military added that sanitisation operations would continue to eliminate any remaining militants in the area.
The ISPR said counter-terrorism efforts under ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would carry on. It said security forces and law enforcement agencies remained determined to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism in the country.
Prime minister and president pay tribute
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for killing four terrorists and expressed grief over Major Waheed’s death. He said the officer had sacrificed his life in defence of the country and conveyed condolences to his family. Sharif also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continue the fight against what it described as foreign-sponsored terrorism.
President Asif Ali Zardari also commended the forces for the operations and expressed sorrow over the major’s death. He paid tribute to Major Waheed’s sacrifice and extended condolences to the family. Zardari said the security forces continued to make sacrifices for the country’s peace, stability and public safety.
