3 more terrorists killed as Operation Shaban continues in Balochistan: state media

Three more terrorists have been killed as security forces and law enforcers continue to carry out Operation Shaban in Balochistan jointly, state media reported citing security sources on Wednesday.

According to state-run Pakistan TV, the latest casualties have taken the total tally of terrorists killed during the operation to 88.

It further reported that 126 terrorists had been killed in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations in the province since July 5.

Operation Shaban was launched in retaliation for a deadly attack on a police post at the Mangi Dam pumping station in Ziarat. During that assault, armed attackers kidnapped and killed 27 police officers. Troops from the army, Frontier Corps and police are participating in the joint operation.

Latest updates reported by Pakistan TV said security forces had intensified air and ground operations in the ongoing sweep.

Balochistan has been facing terrorism for a long time, with a monthly security assessment released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) stating that after two consecutive months of improvement, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The report said Balochistan emerged as the most affected province during the month. The province recorded 71 terrorist attacks, compared with 34 in April, representing a 109pc increase.

The deteriorating security situation was further reflected in a surge in kidnappings, it said. Of the 54 abductions reported nationwide during May, 52 occurred in Balochistan alone, highlighting the growing operational reach and confidence of terrorist groups in the province, it said.

Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the country’s civil and military leadership had taken a “mutual and singular decision” to end terrorism after multiple major terrorist incidents in Balochistan.

He made the remarks at a meeting in Quetta of the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir also present.

Chairing the meeting, PM Shehbaz declared, “One thing is decided: it is a mutual and singular decision of the civil and military leadership that we must end terrorism collectively.”

PM Shehbaz’s statement came a day after the military Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry addressed a press conference, pointing the finger squarely at India and Afghanistan for being behind recent attacks in Balochistan.

He specifically mentioned “three major terrorist incidents” in recent days — an armed attack on the outskirts of Quetta on July 5, an assault on a police post in Ziarat on July 6, and an ambush of an army convoy in Bela on July 7.

Ziarat sit-in

On Tuesday, a sit-in against the killing of police personnel in the Mangi Dam attack entered the sixth day, with the bodies of seven slain policemen still unburied.

Negotiations between the government and representatives of the protesters and political parties also continued, but no consensus was reached.

Provincial Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, who is leading the government side in the talks, appealed to the families of the martyred police personnel to bury their loved ones, saying the government had accepted most of their demands, including the constitution of a judicial commission to conduct an inquiry into the carnage.

A large number of relatives of the slain policemen, political leaders, civil society representatives and local residents participated in the protest, demanding justice and strong action against terrorists. ...