QUETTA: Authorities in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province have issued a high security alert after a deadly suicide blast in Quetta, warning of possible attacks on upcoming Eid Milad-un-Nabi processions.
“Hostile agencies and terrorist groups —— are attempting to target these gatherings in Balochistan. We have placed all our capabilities on high alert,” Hamza Shafqat, a senior government official told reporters Wednesday.
“We have issued a high alert for the public, and Section 144 is already in force across the province, he added.
Foolproof security arrangements were being made for rallies and processions scheduled on Saturday.
“We have repeatedly urged organisers to remain mindful of the security alert. We continue to advise them to strictly regulate movement as much as possible, particularly onSaturday,” he added.
The warning came after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vest near Shahwani Stadium late Tuesday, killing at least 13 and injuring more than 35 as crowds dispersed from a Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) rally.
Shafqat said the suicide bomber was carrying eight kilograms of explosives.
Talking about the attack on Tuesday Shafqat said authorities had already informed the rally organisers about the security situation.
“But they insisted on holding the gathering as it marked the death anniversary of their party’s founder,’ he said and added that “permission was granted under pressure, and that too with conditions,”
Shafqat said the rally was scheduled for 3pm, but the suicide attack took place at 9pm.
“Due to the security arrangements, the attacker could not enter the main venue. Otherwise, the casualties would have been far higher,” he added.
Background: Cross-border militancy and Indian hand
For years, Balochistan has faced violence and armed attacks targeting civilians, politicians and security forces. Pakistani officials say the challenge has grown more complex with an emerging alliance between the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
Both groups, once considered ideologically opposed, now coordinate from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021, the TTP has enjoyed greater freedom of movement, using Afghan soil to regroup after attacks inside Pakistan. The BLA, weakened by military operations in Balochistan, has also shifted elements of its leadership to Afghan provinces such as Nimroz and Helmand.
Pakistani intelligence officials allege that India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is playing a key role in financing and facilitating this nexus. According to security sources, TTP fighters have supplied the BLA with weapons, including US-made arms left behind in Afghanistan.
Islamabad sees this growing collaboration as part of a broader strategy by India to try to destabilise Pakistan by exploiting insurgencies along its western border. The porous 2,590km Pak-Afghan frontier, with its rugged mountains and unregulated crossings, continues to make counterinsurgency operations difficult despite Pakistan’s fencing and security measures.
Officials warn that this is no longer a matter of sporadic attacks but of coordinated, cross-border terrorism, a threat Pakistan links directly to foreign-backed networks seeking to undermine its stability.
