Operation Shaban toll rises to 88 after three more terrorists killed in Balochistan

QUETTA: Three more terrorists have been killed in Balochistan as security forces and law enforcement agencies continue joint action under Operation Shaban.

Pakistan Television reported that the latest deaths raised the number of terrorists killed in Operation Shaban to 88. 126 terrorists had been killed in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations across the province since July 5.

The operation was launched after a deadly attack on a police post at the Mangi Dam pumping station in Ziarat. In that assault, armed attackers abducted and killed 27 police personnel. Troops from the army, Frontier Corps and police are taking part in the ongoing joint operation.

Security forces have stepped up both air and ground operations as the campaign continues.

Security situation in Balochistan

Balochistan has faced militancy for a prolonged period. A monthly security assessment issued by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said Pakistan’s security situation worsened sharply in May after two months of improvement, mainly because of rising militant violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The report identified Balochistan as the province most affected during the month. It recorded 71 terrorist attacks in May, compared with 34 in April, marking a 109 per cent increase.

The same assessment said the worsening situation was also visible in a rise in kidnappings. Of 54 abductions reported nationwide during May, 52 took place in Balochistan, which reflected the expanding operational reach and confidence of militant groups in the province.

Leadership response and Ziarat protest

Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the country’s civilian and military leadership had agreed on the need to eliminate terrorism following several major incidents in Balochistan. He made the remarks while addressing a meeting of the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan in Quetta, attended by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Chairing the meeting, the prime minister said:

One thing is decided: it is a mutual and singular decision of the civil and military leadership that we must end terrorism collectively.

His statement came a day after Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry told a press conference that India and Afghanistan were behind recent attacks in Balochistan. He referred to three major 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 on an army convoy in Bela on July 7.

Meanwhile, a sit-in in Ziarat against the killing of police personnel in the Mangi Dam attack entered its sixth day on Tuesday, with the bodies of seven slain policemen still not buried. Talks between the government and representatives of the protesters and political parties continued, but no agreement was reached.

Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, who is leading the government side in the negotiations, appealed to the families to lay their relatives to rest, saying the government had accepted most of their demands, including the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the killings. The protest has drawn relatives of the slain policemen, political leaders, civil society members and local residents, who are demanding justice and firm action against terrorists.