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Director General of the Inter, Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said deliberate attempts were being made to create a perception that the security situation in Balochistan was deteriorating, while highlighting the country’s counterterrorism efforts and outlining the military’s assessment of the province’s security challenges.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, the military spokesperson said security forces, police, intelligence agencies and civil armed forces had conducted 40,348 intelligence based operations across Pakistan so far this year, including more than 31,000 in Balochistan. He said 3,145 terrorism incidents had been recorded nationwide in 2026, with 1,971 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,148 in Balochistan and 26 elsewhere. According to him, 2,084 militants had been killed during the year, while 819 Pakistanis, including military personnel, law enforcement officials and civilians, had lost their lives in terrorist attacks.
The DG ISPR said security forces were conducting nearly 200 intelligence based operations daily and asserted that there was no room for negotiations with militants. He stated that individuals involved in terrorism must either surrender in accordance with the Constitution and the law or face military action. He also alleged that most of this year’s 28 suicide bombings were carried out by Afghan nationals or individuals linked to Afghanistan’s security apparatus.
Responding to what he described as a perception that Balochistan’s security situation had worsened, Lt Gen Chaudhry argued that the province’s core challenges included entrenched elitism, tribal power structures, external interference, support networks operating from Afghanistan and coordinated propaganda. He said some influential groups sought to preserve the existing status quo and resisted reforms aimed at strengthening state institutions, including efforts to modernise the Levies force.
The military spokesperson also alleged that external actors were supporting militant groups operating in Balochistan and claimed that India and Afghanistan shared a common objective of sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan. He further alleged that banned militant organisations designated by the government as Fitna, al, Hindustan and Fitna, al, Khawarij were coordinating their activities. These allegations have not been independently verified.
Lt Gen Chaudhry rejected what he described as narratives surrounding deprivation, underrepresentation and enforced disappearances in Balochistan. Citing official figures, he said the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances had received 10,901 cases since its establishment, of which 9,372 had been resolved. He said 4,896 individuals had returned home, around 1,030 had been traced to prisons, 308 were confirmed dead and approximately 2,400 cases were determined to have been misreported. He added that of the 2,933 cases reported from Balochistan, 2,767 had been disposed of.
Providing further details on the security situation, the DG ISPR said militants had killed 178 civilians in Balochistan this year, kidnapped 55 people, damaged roads and bridges at 24 locations, set property on fire at 60 sites and carried out 47 incidents of looting. He also said police and Levies personnel had been targeted in 105 attacks. According to him, security forces were currently conducting Operation Al, Azm in Balochistan, while Operation Ghazab lil, Haq was underway against the Afghan Taliban.
The military spokesperson added that Pakistan had repatriated 2.6 million Afghan nationals, including 600,000 during the current year. He also announced the creation of Frontier Corps Balochistan (West) as part of efforts to strengthen the security framework in the province.
