Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, announced Pakistan’s intention to present concrete evidence of India’s involvement in Balochistan to international platforms. He emphasized that the unrest in Balochistan is not merely a political or law enforcement issue but a comprehensive war imposed by India, using Afghanistan as a proxy.
The statement came as security forces intensified Operation Shaban in Balochistan, with at least 17 additional India-backed militants killed on Friday. This raised the total number of militants eliminated during the operation to 43. The operation, initiated after a deadly assault on the Mangi Dam police station, is being conducted jointly by the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps, and Balochistan Police.
Sanaullah highlighted that the decision to take evidence against India to global forums was made at the highest level. He pointed out that Afghanistan is systematically exploited as a base to orchestrate attacks inside Pakistan.
In a significant development, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry detailed the initial confrontation, stating that India-backed terrorists attacked the checkpoint, but police personnel fought valiantly, killing 15 militants during the initial engagement. Unfortunately, nine police officers were martyred in the early fighting, and militants took several police personnel hostage before security forces could reach the site.
The military spokesperson explained that security forces carefully tightened the cordon around the militants because hostages were involved. The engagement with the militants in the mountains of Ziarat began on July 6, and when the terrorists realized the encirclement was closing in, they killed 18 police personnel. Lt Gen Chaudhry confirmed that the Mangi checkpoint attack resulted in the deaths of 27 police personnel and 26 militants.
Separately, security forces repelled an attack on a police station in Khuzdar. Pakistan Army and Frontier Corps troops launched a retaliatory operation during which eight militants were killed. Since July 5, a total of 91 militants have been killed during Operation Shaban and related intelligence-based operations, with an additional five to six militants eliminated in separate helicopter operations.
Despite these successes, 42 people, including security personnel and civilians, lost their lives in three recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan. Addressing the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan in Quetta on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the commitment of the civil and military leadership to eradicate India-backed terrorism in the region.
He stressed the need to thwart the malicious plans of Fitna al-Khawarij and affirmed that the entire nation stands united with the armed forces. “This war against terrorism will continue until the last terrorist in Pakistan is eliminated,” the prime minister declared.
Referring directly to India, PM Shehbaz stated that the country’s eastern neighbor was behind the terrorist attacks and that Afghan territory was being used to launch assaults inside Pakistan. He noted that the enemy was unable to accept Pakistan’s diplomatic achievements.
The prime minister concluded by assuring that all available resources would be mobilized to eliminate terrorism and set the nation on a path toward sustainable development and prosperity.
