ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Military spokesperson on Wednesday said a total of 54 terrorists belonging to Indian-backed terrorist groups have been killed across Balochistan over the past three days, while 42 civilians and security personnel have also been martyred in the terrorist attacks.
Addressing a press conference, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry informed that the planning and training for these terrorist attacks are taking place in Afghanistan with Indian backing.
“India is orchestrating them. They are being carried out with the support of hostile forces aligned with India that cannot tolerate Pakistan’s dignity, prosperity, and stability,” Chaudhry said, noting that there had been “three major terrorist incidents” in the past four days.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s resolve, the military spokesperson said Balochistan remains a symbol of the country’s pride and honour, and that efforts to eliminate terrorism will continue.
Chaudhry said terrorists from Fitna al-Khawarij attacked a police check post guarding the pumping station and pipeline at Mangi Dam in Ziarat.
He added that nine police personnel embraced martyrdom during the exchange of fire, while 15 terrorists were killed.
The Pakistani government uses the term “Fitna al-Khawarij” to refer to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates, while Fitna al-Hindustan is a term used for Indian backed terrorists in Balochistan.
DG ISPR noted that reinforcements of the army and the Frontier Corps were immediately dispatched, but “before they could reach, the terrorists took the remaining police officials and took them hostage”.
The military spokesperson said 18 police personnel who had been taken hostage were executed by the terrorists as security forces tightened their cordon around the attackers.
Lt Gen Chaudhry recalled that the FC, army personnel and other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) “kept on engaging them and started surrounding them”.
“We were very careful because of the collateral damage, not to use any aerial assets because they had taken our youth hostage,” he said.
The DG ISPR further stated that a total of 54 terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij have been killed across Balochistan over the past three days.
He reiterated the state’s stance that the elements were using “the territories under the control of this illegitimate Afghan Taliban regime as a base of operation”.
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The DG ISPR asserted that the “majority” of the terrorists engaged and killed “turn out to be Afghan”.
“The government is telling them that we will throw out all these illegal Afghans, then they have a problem with that. They think by carrying out such acts, they can deter us,” he said.
“You can only deter someone who knows how to be deterred. Nobody has been born in the world who can deter the Pakistani state,” the DG ISPR declared.
“We are here and we will remain here. Pakistan is here, Balochistan is here and the people of Balochistan are here,” he asserted.
The military spokesman vowed to “take on each and every terrorist, their facilitators, those who harbour them, those who furnish them, those who provide them bases, wherever they are, without any distinction”.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in cross-border terrorist attacks since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021.
Islamabad has repeatedly asked the Taliban regime to take decisive and credible action against terrorist groups based in Afghanistan; however, the Taliban regime failed to curb terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, particularly the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Afghanistan continues to remain a major regional security concern due to the presence of terrorist groups.
TTP is involved in various terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, as the terrorist group enjoys support from the Taliban regime and freely operates in Afghanistan.
