A wave of coordinated gun and bomb attacks across Pakistan’s Balochistan province has left at least 48 people dead, including 31 civilians and 17 members of the security services, according to the provincial administration.
The Chief Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, said security forces killed at least 145 attackers during subsequent operations.
The assaults struck multiple locations, including the provincial capital Quetta and coastal and inland districts such as Gwadar, Mastung and Noshki. Pakistani officials described a multi-site operation in which attackers targeted police and paramilitary facilities, as well as government buildings and transport links. Hospitals were placed on alert as clearance operations expanded across affected areas.
The banned separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility, describing the violence as a coordinated campaign. Pakistani authorities have not endorsed the group’s account of casualties, and figures cited by officials have shifted as operations continued: the military reported at least 92 militants killed during the initial response, before the provincial chief minister later put the total at 145 after about 40 hours of fighting.
Officials said the attacks were staged in at least a dozen towns and cities, with grenade strikes and gunfire reported near police posts and checkpoints. Security measures in and around Quetta included restrictions around administrative sites and temporary disruption to communications. Train services in the region were also reported to have been suspended as security forces moved to prevent further attacks and to block militants from seizing strategic points.
One of the most serious incidents cited in early official accounts was an assault in Gwadar in which militants attacked a camp housing migrant workers, killing 11 people, according to a Reuters report of the military’s briefing on 31 January. The wider series of incidents included attempts to strike multiple targets in quick succession, prompting what the military described as coordinated deployment by the army, police and counter-terrorism units.
In Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the security forces for repelling the attacks and vowed to continue operations against militant violence. His remarks echoed official language used in recent years to describe the insurgency in Balochistan, where separatist groups and Islamist militants have both mounted attacks on state targets and civilians.
Pakistan’s military also accused India of backing the attackers. Indian officials rejected the allegation, calling it baseless and urging Pakistan to focus on internal security. Pakistan has repeatedly made similar claims in previous Balochistan-related incidents; India has consistently denied involvement.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, has been the centre of an insurgency since the country’s early years, with separatist groups demanding greater autonomy or independence. The province has substantial gas and mineral resources and hosts the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. Officials in Balochistan and the federal government have argued that development projects will bring investment and jobs; separatist groups contend that local communities do not receive a fair share of benefits. Human rights groups and local activists have long alleged enforced disappearances in counter-insurgency operations, which Pakistani authorities deny.
The latest violence comes amid renewed scrutiny of security in the province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and has been affected by cross-border militancy and regional rivalries. In recent years, Pakistani officials have linked spikes in attacks to external facilitation and to militants coordinating in real time with handlers outside the country, while insurgent groups have sought to demonstrate reach beyond remote districts by striking urban centres and transport routes.
U.S. Financing of Reko Diq Raises Human Rights Concerns in Balochistan, writes Basit Zaheer Baloch
