QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Tuesday rejected the notion that an insurgency exists in the province, saying the violence was being fuelled by “India-backed so-called separatist movements” aimed at destabilising Pakistan.
Speaking at the 17th National Workshop in Quetta, the chief minister said the ongoing violence in Balochistan was the result of external interference rather than a local uprising. “There is no insurgency in Balochistan — only so-called separatist movements,” he told participants.
“The purpose of these anti-state elements is to harm and divide Pakistan,” Bugti said, accusing India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of playing a “clear role” in worsening the province’s security situation. “Separatists are pleased with India but seek to damage Pakistan,” he added.
Balochistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent months, with groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) adopting more sophisticated tactics and increasingly targeting security forces.
Bugti stressed that the fight against terrorism was not limited to the country’s armed forces. “This war is the collective responsibility of the entire nation,” he said.
He argued that narratives of “uneven development” were being deliberately spread to create divisions within the province. “The term ‘disgruntled Baloch’ was coined to justify terrorism,” the chief minister said. “Anyone who picks up arms against the state is not an angry citizen — he is a terrorist.”
Bugti also said that social media had been used to drive a wedge between the youth and the state, adding that the provincial government was engaging with students across universities to listen to their concerns.
To strengthen counterterrorism efforts, Bugti said the province had allocated Rs100 million to enhance the capacity of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD). “Security forces are conducting operations in areas where it is often difficult to distinguish between friends and foes,” he said.
Reports from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) and the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) show that Pakistan has witnessed nearly as much violence in the first three quarters of 2025 as in all of 2024.
Last year, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded the highest number of terrorist attacks with 295 incidents. Meanwhile, violence in Balochistan surged by 119 per cent, with the BLA and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) accounting for 171 incidents, according to the reports.
