QUETTA, Pakistan: Pakistan’s security forces have killed at least 145 terrorists in nearly 40 hours of operations across the southwestern province of Balochistan following coordinated attacks by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorist group, the province’s chief minister said on Sunday.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti told a press conference in Quetta that the terrorists were killed during intelligence-based operations launched after terrorists targeted 12 locations across the province on Saturday.
The attacks, he said, killed 17 members of the security forces and 31 civilians.
The statement comes as terrorists affiliated with India-sponsored Fitna al-Hindustan carried out multiple attacks targeting civilians in Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar, and Pasni.
CM Bugti said the BLA carried out coordinated assaults in multiple locations, including Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar and Pasni.
“The bodies of 145 terrorists are in the custody of the authorities,” he said, adding that this was the highest terrorist death toll recorded in such a short span during Pakistan’s fight against terrorism.
He said intelligence agencies had prior information about the planned attacks, prompting security forces to launch pre-emptive operations a day earlier in areas such as Shaban and Panjgur, where around 40 terrorists were killed.
Terrorists targeted civilians in Gwadar
The chief minister confirmed that terrorists killed five women and three children from a Baloch family in a labour colony in Gwadar, describing the incident as “the most painful”.
The slain family belonged to Khuzdar and were Baloch, he added.
“Our civilians were deliberately targeted,” Bugti said, adding that the provincial government would take responsibility for the welfare of the families of those killed.
He said the state shared the grief of the bereaved families and would ensure support for the children of security personnel who died in the attacks.
#Live: Balochistan CM Mir Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti is addressing a news conference in Quetta@PakSarfrazbugti @dpr_gob
— Radio Pakistan (@RadioPakistan) February 1, 2026
Intelligence-based operations
Bugti rejected claims that a large-scale military force was being used in Balochistan.
He said operations were limited and intelligence-driven, aimed at avoiding civilian casualties.
“Terrorists often hide among civilians,” he said. “We could eliminate them with heavy firepower, but that would endanger innocent lives.”
He said terrorists attempted to breach sensitive areas, including the Red Zone, but failed. Nushki, where fighting lasted longer, had now been fully cleared, he added.
Bugti slammed hostile elements for trying to destabilise Pakistan at the behest of India and questioned whether the BLA was a registered political party with which negotiations could be held.
He said the group wanted to impose its ideology through the use of guns and reiterated that the government was not prepared to surrender even for a second.
“We will not surrender… they [terrorists] can destabilise but cannot take a single inch of our country,” CM Bugti said.
Declaring that “our blood is not cheap,” the chief minister said the perpetrators would not be allowed to escape and warned that the land would be turned into hell for terrorists.
He said Balochistan would be taken towards peace and maintained that the use of force had never been carried out in the province in the manner claimed, stressing that only small, targeted operations were conducted.
Terrorists using civilians as shields
CM Bugti rejected attempts to link terrorism and violence in Balochistan solely with deprivation and said terrorists merge into civilian populations, making operations extremely sensitive.
He added that authorities could have eliminated militants with heavy firepower, including mortars, but refrained from doing so to avoid civilian casualties.
Bugti explained that terrorists often blend in with civilians and that the state did not want to become brutal like them.
He said a Baloch family was targeted and killed by terrorists in a labour colony in Gwadar and questioned why Baloch people were being turned into fuel for violence at India’s behest.
Bugti said whenever Pakistan attempts to take off economically and politically, such incidents occur.
He said he personally surveyed Quetta on Saturday to oversee security operations.
“Yesterday, I myself moved around Quetta. At one or two places, they even brought 11-year-old children with them.
Children were used as human shields,” he said, adding that terrorists had attempted to storm the PTC building.
He declared that the government was prepared to fight this war for a thousand years if required.
The chief minister said reports indicated that Afghan nationals were operating alongside the terrorists.
“All kinds of weapons have been used in these terrorist attacks, and weapons from the Afghanistan war are openly circulating in the market.”
“Today, Bashir Zeb, Rehman Gul and Allah Nazar are present in Afghanistan,” he added. Bugti emphasised that terrorists have no nationality or tribal affiliation.
He further said that Afghanistan was being used as a base against Pakistan and that intelligence-led operations would continue to neutralise terrorists and protect civilians.
Nushki completely cleared
Referring to security arrangements, CM Bugti said terrorists believed they would be able to penetrate the Red Zone, but they failed.
He confirmed that Nushki had now been completely cleared and that operations had already been initiated earlier on intelligence information.
He said the perception that large-scale force was being used in Balochistan was incorrect and again described the actions as limited, intelligence-based operations.
The chief minister said the government engages people through dialogue and jirgas and once again stressed that Balochistan would be taken towards peace.
He described the province as a conflict zone where Pakistan was fighting India’s proxy networks and reaffirmed the resolve to continue the fight against terrorism.
He revealed that militants had also targeted Safe City cameras. “Our Safe City cameras in Quetta were also attacked. We will install CCTV cameras in eight cities to strengthen surveillance,” he said.
“Our soldiers confronted the terrorists in the red zone, due to which the attackers’ vehicle could not ram into its target,” Bugti said, praising the bravery of security personnel. He announced that a high state award would be given to an injured officer for their actions.
He vowed that intelligence-led operations against terrorists would continue relentlessly. “We will carry out intelligence-based operations against terrorists, and we will drag them out of their hideouts,” Bugti said.
Terrorists’ contact with handlers abroad
Pakistan military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said the terrorists had carried out coordinated attacks in multiple cities of Balochistan, but a timely and effective response by security forces thwarted their attempts.
The ISPR added that the attackers were in direct contact with their handlers based abroad and that the operations were carried out on the instructions of their leaders operating from outside Pakistan.
Security agencies said sanitisation and search operations are continuing in the affected areas to eliminate any remaining threats.
In a statement, the military said the planners, facilitators and abettors of the attacks would be brought to justice and operations would continue until terrorism is completely eradicated.
Separately, civilians injured in an attack in a labour colony in Gwadar said the assailants targeted unarmed and innocent people.
The wounded said the attack was brutal and that even women and children were not spared.
According to the victims, pleas invoking the sanctity of the Holy Quran and the presence of children were ignored by the attackers.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Sunday that peace had been restored and security forces were conducting “mopping-up operations”.
“The coordinated attack has been repulsed completely,” Asif told reporters in Sialkot, adding that attempted attacks on Frontier Corps facilities in Nushki and Dalbandin had been foiled.
Indian backing of terrorist groups
CM Bugti and other senior officials accused neighbouring India of backing the BLA as part of a proxy campaign to destabilise Pakistan.
The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as “Fitna-al-Hindustan”, a term officials say highlights alleged Indian involvement.
“Our intelligence and confessional statements by terrorists show linkages to India,” Defence Minister Asif said.
Bugti rejected suggestions that militancy in Balochistan should be treated as a political issue.
“Is the BLA a registered political party with which dialogue can be held?” he asked. “They want to impose their ideology through violence.”
He said the government would not surrender “even for a second” and vowed to continue operations against terrorists for as long as necessary.
However, he added that the government remained open to dialogue and jirgas with the wider population to promote peace, while continuing targeted action against armed groups.
International reaction
The United States strongly condemned the attacks. US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker said Washington remained a “steadfast partner” of Pakistan in efforts to ensure peace and stability.
“The Pakistani people deserve to live free from violence and fear,” she said in a statement on social media.
Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker Condemns Terrorist Attacks in Balochistan
The United States strongly condemns January 31 attacks and acts of terrorist violence against security personnel and civilians in Balochistan, claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army, a U.S.-designated…
— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) February 1, 2026
The United States designated the BLA and its Majeed Brigade as foreign terrorist organisations in August 2025.
Britain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia also condemned the attacks.
Bugti said tracing and combing operations were continuing across Balochistan and warned that those responsible would not be allowed to escape.
“This is a war against terrorism,” he said. “We will continue intelligence-based operations and bring peace to Balochistan.”
