BALOCHISTAN faced its most lethal week in years this month, and in the face of the threat, Pakistan’s security establishment responded with strength, a strength that is worthy of admiration as it was not a knee-jerk reaction. Starting July 4, more than 40 people died, including 38 security personnel. They were not soldiers in some abstract war, but police-men and soldiers who guarded their own citizens.

The Global Terrorism Index, 2026, reported 1,139 fatalities and 1,045 incidents of terrorism in Pakistan in 2025, a 5.9 per cent increase, with Pakistan being named the most terrorism-affected country in the world for the first time in its history. The attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) together made up more than 74pc of the total such attacks in the country. Operation Shaban, as such, was not one of the options; it was the only option.

The institutional coordination of Operation Shaban is a testament to two decades of hard experiences that the Pakistan’s security establishment has acquired. In the north, the forces are breaking up Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) cells, while in the south, the focus is on the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and some splinter groups.

Intelligence-based operations coupled with ground operations and the support of gunship helicopters have already resulted in a noticeable reduction in terrorism within a matter of weeks.

Some rights activists have expressed concerns about displacement resulting from China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the Gwadar area. CPEC, we must remember, is a long-term investment aimed at creating jobs, building infrastructure and bringing in stability in a historically underdeveloped region. This, in a nutshell, has the potential to address the very grievances the people of Balochistan have had over the years.

At a time when a message of united national resolve was needed the most, the highest of civilian and military authorities in the country were seen together in the provincial capital. Operation Shaban would not resolve all the problems in Balochistan, but it is an indication of the state’s resolve to effectively respond to a real security threat with a rather clear objective.

Ruqia Khan Nasar
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2026