• Section 144 in place across province; CM says 145 terrorists killed in 40 hours after attacks
• Defence minister says forces carrying out ‘mop-up operations’
• Bugti pledges action against ‘family members of terrorists who did not alert govt’

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday vowed to eliminate terrorists after a spate of coordinated violence across the province, stressing that 145 outlaws had been killed within a span of 40 hours.

His remarks came as the provincial government imposed a ban on gatherings, processions and sit-ins of five or more people for one month.

Speaking at a press conference in Quetta, he said the bodies of the terrorists were in the custody of the authorities. “This is the highest number since Pakistan is facing this war on terror,” he said.

Mr Bugti said 17 law enforcement personnel, including police, Frontier Corps and a Navy official, were martyred, while civilian casualties stood at 31, including injured.

The chief minister said intelligence reports had indicated a major operation was being planned and that “pre-emptive” action began a day earlier.

Around 40 terrorists were killed in Shaban and Panjgur during those operations, he said, adding that terrorists had planned to move from Shaban towards Quetta. “Our forces were very vigilant,” he said.

Mr Bugti described the incident in Gwadar, where he said five women and three children were killed, as “the most painful”. He later played video statements of those injured in the area.

He said terrorists had planned to enter the Red Zone and seize key installations, but the attempt was thwarted. He stressed that Nushki, which he said took longer to clear but added “is completely clear now”.

He said tracing and combing operations were continuing. Asked about reports that the Nushki deputy commissioner had been abducted, he said the official was safe and had escaped.

Responding to a query, Mr Bugti said no city had been taken over and claimed no bank had been looted. He said terrorists had tried to target a police station and alleged they were using children as human shields.

Sources said that the situation in Nushki remained unclear on Sunday, with the Quetta-Taftan Highway closed and reports of firing. Other routes like Quetta-Karachi, Quetta-Chaman and Loralai-Dera Ghazi Khan were reopened, according to National Highway Authority officials.

The proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) later released Nushki Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Hussain Hazara and Assistant Commissioner Maria Shamaoon, who had been taken into custody by armed men earlier.

In the port city of Gwadar, clearance operations continued in some localities after authorities received information about the presence of terrorists. Hospital officials said five bodies were brought in.

However, officials said security forces had cleared Port Road and Qesco’s Urban Sub-Division in Gwadar.

Section 144 imposed

In the wake of Saturday’s attacks, the Balochistan government has imposed a one-month ban on gatherings, processions and sit-ins of five or more people across the province.

According to a Home Department order issued on Sunday, a ban was also imposed on covering faces in public places by using mufflers, masks or any other means that obstruct identification.

The display or use of weapons, pillion riding, the use of tinted glasses on vehicles and the use of unregistered vehicles were also prohibited under the order.

The bans were placed under Section 144 (power to issue order absolute) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Meanwhile, a local leader of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal was gunned down in the Wadh area of Khuzdar district late on Sunday evening.

Police said Dodki Union Council Chairman and BNP-M leader Naseer Ahmed Bahreainzai was passing through the area when armed men on motorcycles opened fire, killing him on the spot.

Separately, unknown armed men blew up a high-voltage electricity transmission pylon in Kachhi district, while separate hand grenade attacks were carried out on police checkposts near Dhadar and Sibi late on Saturday night.

‘Fight for thousand years’

The chief minister criticised efforts to frame terrorism as a “political issue” and rejected calls to “rationalise” violence in the name of ethno-nationalism.

“Is BLA a registered party with whom you have to hold a dialogue?” he asked, adding that terrorists sought to impose their ideology through force. He said the government would not surrender. “We will fight this war for a thousand years,” he said.

Mr Bugti maintained that the conflict was “purely intelligence-driven”, saying only intelligence-based operations were being conducted and that no large-scale operation was under way in cities.

He alleged India’s Research and Analysis Wing was backing terrorism and claimed the authorities had “solid and circumstantial evidence”. He also claimed that weapons left behind after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan had spread into markets and were being supplied to terrorists.

Referring to the Safe City project, he said cameras connected to the network had been targeted because they posed a “threat” to terrorists.

The chief minister linked the recent rise in violence to an “appeasement” policy pursued after 2018, warning against any accommodation of those who had taken up arms against the state.

In a statement on X, Mr Bugti reiterated that families should inform the government if relatives had joined terrorist groups. “Law will take its course against all the family members of these terrorists who did not alert the government,” he asserted.

Later, speaking to Geo News, CM Bugti said that the lethality of BLA attacks was minimal due to the prior intelligence sharing.

He acknowledged that forces face constraints when operating “in the grey”, as terrorists blend into civilian areas and, he alleged, use people, including children, as human shields.

Rejecting some media reports that placed terrorist strength at 1,000-1,200, he urged outlets to describe them as “terrorists” rather than “gunmen” and said the number involved was far lower, estimating it at 200-250, and possibly under 200 in the current situation.

Mop-up operation

Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said peace has been established in Balochistan after Saturday’s attacks and security forces were now “engaged in a mopping-up operation”.

“At this moment in time, peace has been established, and the coordinated attack has been repulsed completely, and they (terrorists) have retreated,” Mr Asif said while addressing the media in Sialkot.

Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Mr Bugti and the Balochistan corps commander visited the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Quetta to inquire after the health of police personnel injured in the attacks.

During the visit, they praised the courage and high morale of the wounded officers. Mr Naqvi commended the police for bravely confronting and foiling the terrorist assault, saying their resistance had thwarted the attackers’ objectives.

Behram Baloch in Gwadar, Abdul Wahid Shahwani in Khuzdar and Ali Jan Mangi in Dera Murad Jamali also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2026