• ISPR says forces foil hostage bid; Rs3.4m looted from banks
• Three FC officers injured in clashes
• CM Bugti says militants ‘shifted from ideology to criminality’; ‘option to surrender’ still open

QUETTA: Security forces killed 12 terrorists and effectively thwarted their attempt to create a hostage situation in Balochistan’s Kharan district during multiple operations, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Friday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “approximately 15 to 20 Indian-sponsored terrorists of Fitna Al Hindustan carried out multiple terrorist acti­vities in Kharan city” on Thursday.

The state has designated Balo­chistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna al Hindustan, as it is believed that India is actively involved in terrorism and destabilisation efforts across Pakistan.

The ISPR said that during the operations, “terrorists attacked the City Police Station, National Bank of Pakistan and Habib Bank Limited” and looted Rs3.4 million from the banks.

“Security forces effectively responded and engaged the terrorists, prompting them to retreat. During the ensuing clearance operation, 12 terrorists were sent to hell in three different engagements,” the ISPR said.

“Terrorists’ design to create a hostage situation at the police station was also effectively thwarted,” it said.

It added that a sanitisation operation is underway in the surrounding areas of Kharan to eliminate any other terrorists.

“A relentless counterterrorism campaign under vision Azm-i-Istehkam (as approved by Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by the security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” it said.

Separately, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, speaking at a press conference in Quetta on Friday evening, said three Frontier Corps officers, including Col Wardan, Major Asim and Subedar Mohammad Ali, were injured during the clashes.

He said reports indicated 14 terrorists had been killed, but “12 are confirmed”, adding that some suspects had escaped and an operation was continuing in the area.

He said that forces had killed four terrorists near the Kharan town, while eight others were killed in an operation conducted on the information of intelligence agencies.

The chief minister said militant groups appeared to have abandoned ideology and descended into criminality.

He added that security forces had killed around 900 hardcore terrorists in operations during 2025, which had led to a reduction in terrorist attacks across Balochistan. He expressed hope that violence would decline further in the coming year, driven by sustained government planning and security efforts.

Mr Bugti said Baloch youth were being targeted through propaganda, but the people of Kharan had rejected the militants and effectively cut off their “social support base”.

He stressed that the state remained open to militants willing to surrender. “For 30 years, their actions were portrayed as a struggle for rights,” he remarked.

Referring to development work, the chief minister said the Bolan National Highway was being closed at night because of ongoing construction. He also announced that Rs3 billion would be spent to provide fibre-optic internet to all government schools, colleges, universities and hospitals across Balochistan.

He added that appointments in the province were being made strictly on merit and that an online testing system was being introduced to ensure transparency.

Meanwhile, despite high militant casualties, violence surged in 2025, with terror attacks rising 34 per cent and terrorism-related fatalities up 21pc year on year, according to a report by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies.

Earlier this month, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said law enforcement agencies conducted 75,175 intelligence-based operations in 2025, including 58,778 in Balochistan and 14,658 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said 5,397 terror incidents were reported nationwide during the year, with 1,557 in Balochistan and 3,811 in KP.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2026