ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that “Indian-backed proxies” in Balochistan are using Afghan territory as a base to carry out cross-border terror attacks aimed at destabilising Pakistan.
Speaking in the National Assembly, the lower house of Pakistan’s Parliament, the Defence Minister said that the leadership of these terrorists is based in Afghanistan, and they receive support from elements abroad.
The statement follows coordinated attacks by “Indian-backed” terrorists on various locations in Balochistan on Saturday. The terrorists targeted civilians and security forces.
According to authorities, the attackers were in constant contact with their handlers in Afghanistan.
Khawaja Asif said that due to the specific geographical conditions of Balochistan, a large number of military personnel must be deployed in the province.
He added that the government has taken strict measures to prevent smuggling, which also resulted in a major protest at the Chaman border.
Asif mentioned that smugglers had been making up to Rs4 billion per day through oil smuggling and said that the recent unrest was an effort to regain these lost earnings.
The Defence Minister further said that criminal elements in the name of the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) are providing protection to these smugglers, and there is a nexus behind tribal elders and separatist movements in Balochistan.
He said that the security forces have killed at least 177 terrorists in Balochistan during the last few days, while 17 security personnel and 33 civilians were martyred.
Authorities said the attacks began early Saturday across multiple districts of Balochistan. The terrorists targeted civilians and security forces.
Separately, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti told reporters in Quetta that troops and police responded swiftly, killing 177 terrorists belonging to “Fitna al-Hindustan,” a term it uses for the Indian-backed BLA.
“Pakistan’s state narrative is that nobody in Pakistan will be allowed to rationalise violence,” Asif said.
“When you try to rationalise violence — that this is a freedom movement — then it’s not acceptable, because it’s not true. It’s a cover to legitimise criminal activities.”
The Defence Minister assured the House that there would be no talks with terrorists in Balochistan and the state would respond with full force to those who martyred women, children, and security forces.
He said that all politicians have to unite against terrorists; we can have political differences among ourselves, but everyone has to be united against terrorism.
He said that Balochistan is a huge area which is extremely difficult to control, and those fighting there have such modern weapons that sometimes even the security forces do not have.
The question is, where did so many modern weapons come from?
Khawaja Asif further said that today there are 15,096 schools, 13 cadet colleges, and 13 big hospitals in Balochistan; despite this, a narrative of deprivation is being created.
