Ministers condemn 'India-backed' Balochistan attacks, say banned outfits exploiting women, children

• Terrorist attempts foiled due to timely action by forces: Asif.
• Says Balochistan attacks reflect clear nexus between India, BLA.
• India deeply distressed by defeat in “Marka-e-Haq”, says Tarar.
  

Federal ministers on Sunday strongly condemned the recent coordinated terrorist attacks in Balochistan, saying that India was funding terrorism in Pakistan to undermine the country’s economy.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that India-backed terrorists are now exploiting women and children for their malicious objectives.

Addressing a press conference at his residence in Sialkot, the defence minister said: “Women were used at two locations in yesterday’s attacks.”

He said that the recently failed child suicide bombing attempt in Karachi and the case of a young girl in Pasni were clear evidence that innocent minds are being systematically radicalised.

At least 145 terrorists have been killed in almost 40 hours across the province after terrorists belonging to the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) launched "coordinated attacks across 12 towns", confirmed Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.

"17 security personnel and 31 civilians embraced martyrdom during the attacks carried out across the province," the provincial chief executive added.

Talking to journalists, Asif said that the coordinated terrorist attacks were carried out on Saturday at 12 different locations across Balochistan, with a deliberate attempt to cause widespread bloodshed.

He stated that these attacks were aimed at compensating for the losses suffered over the past year by the BLA and its affiliated organisations.

The defence minister said that multiple locations across Balochistan were targeted simultaneously, highlighting the organised nature of the attacks.

He said the incidents pointed to a clear nexus between India and the BLA, describing them as two sides of the same coin and saying that the BLA was operating as an Indian proxy.

The defence czar said that following the major setback faced by India in May last year, such attacks are now being used to deliberately target civilian populations.

He said these actions are intended to destabilise Pakistan at a time when the country, after enduring two years of economic hardship, has begun progressing again by the grace of God.

He added that India and the BLA want to push Pakistan back into economic darkness and undermine its national integrity.

The defence minister said that the intelligence reports and confessional statements from arrested militants clearly indicate that the links of these terrorist activities lead back to India.

He reiterated that the BLA is a globally designated terrorist organisation, banned both nationally and internationally.

The minister said that people facing poverty, unemployment, and economic hardship are being deliberately targeted by extremist networks.

He said suicide attacks were also attempted on the Frontier Corps headquarters in Noshki and Dalbandin, while nearly twelve locations were targeted in total.

Due to timely action by security forces, all attempts were foiled, he added. 

He stated that due to Balochistan’s vast geographical area and sparse population, terrorists have sometimes gained temporary advantages, but these will be eliminated in the coming days.

The minister reiterated that the terrorist leadership operating from Afghanistan is exploiting innocent youth for malicious objectives.

He made it clear that Pakistan is fighting a long and decisive war against the BLA and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and there will be no sympathy or leniency for these groups anywhere in the country.

He said strict action will also be taken against facilitators of terrorism, who will meet the same fate as the terrorists themselves.

The defence minister noted that past counterterrorism measures had reduced attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, but stressed the need for even more effective action.

He said Pakistan will take all necessary measures to defend itself —whether terrorists are inside or outside its borders — in accordance with its constitutional mandate and state responsibility.

He further stated that KP remains the most targeted province and noted that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the attacks this morning.

The defence czar emphasised that political differences must be set aside in the national fight against terrorism.

The sacrifices of the martyrs, he said, reflect the devotion of sons and daughters from every province who have laid down their lives for the homeland.

‘India boosts investment in proxies after war setback’

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said that India had increased its investment in proxy elements after losing the war, saying these proxies receive training across the border and carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

Last year in May, Pakistan and India engaged in a military showdown, the worst between the old foes in decades, which was sparked by a terrorist attack on tourists in IIOJK's Pahalgam area, which New Delhi alleged was backed by Pakistan.

Islamabad denied involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 men and offered to participate in a neutral probe into the deadly incident.

During the clashes, Pakistan downed seven Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the US.

Talking to the media in Faisalabad, the state minister said that Pakistan had presented concrete evidence of India’s direct involvement in terrorism to the world.

He added that the global community, on the basis of these proofs, designated the BLA as a terrorist organisation.

Chaudhry said terrorists were hiding behind civilians and using them as human shields while falsely claiming to protect Baloch rights.

He said the militants had targeted markets and schools and opened fire on innocent Baloch civilians, noting that they lacked the courage to confront security forces directly.

The minister said that many terrorists had fled and were being pursued, adding that the attacks targeted soft targets where women and children were used as shields.

The minister added that Indian media outlets ran commentary on the incidents as if they were covering a match.

'India deeply distressed by defeat in Marka-e-Haq'

Separately, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has condemned the cowardly attacks carried out by "Fitna-al-Hindustan" in Balochistan.

Speaking to the media in Lahore on Sunday, he said the security forces fought vigorously and successfully repelled the terrorists and defeated them.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was fully aware of the situation.

He said India is deeply distressed by the defeat in "Marka-e-Haq". He said the security forces are committed to eliminating all proxies threatening Pakistan.

He also criticised the Indian media for spreading misinformation about Balochistan.