Naqvi vows to go after every terrorist in the Balochistan violence

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday directly held India responsible for the latest attacks in Balochistan, claiming New Delhi was involved in planning and supporting the incidents and vowing to reveal what he described as its role to the international community.

At least 92 terrorists were killed as security forces battled a series of coordinated attacks at several locations in Balochistan today, with 15 security personnel also martyred in action. With the latest fatalities, the number of terrorists killed over the past two days has risen to 133.

The brazen, synchronized attacks were carried out by hordes of heavily armed terrorists in 12 cities including Quetta, Noshki, Dalbandin, Kalat, Gwadar, Pasni, Tump and Mastung. Security sources said “Fitna al-Hindustan” – an umbrella term used by officials for outlawed Baloch terror groups – was behind the deadly assaults, which came a day after the military claimed it had killed 41 terrorists in two targeted operations in the Panjgur and Shaban areas of Balochistan.

In a video statement released alongside Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, the interior minister said the manner in which the attacks were planned and executed, as well as the response of the police, Frontier Corps (FC) and the Pakistan Army, reflected the scale and seriousness of the threat.

“Behind every attack there is a story. The way our soldiers defended themselves and the way the terrorists were hunted shows that none of them managed to escape,” he said, adding that the attackers had been neutralized so that none could escape.

Naqvi praised the role of CM Bugti, describing him as brave and saying his leadership from the front had boosted the morale of the security forces.

Hailing the FC, the police and the army for confronting what he called terrorism, the home minister said it was important for the world to understand that these were not “ordinary terrorists”, while reiterating his claim that India was behind the attacks.

“India is behind these attacks. I can say with certainty that India planned them along with these terrorists,” he said, adding that authorities would pursue all those involved and hold no one accountable.

He said the authorities had almost all information about the masterminds behind the attack and the locations from which they operate. “We will expose them to the world – the face with which they meet people in public and the face with which they support terrorists,” Naqvi said.

He alleged that India was providing financial support to militants as well as assistance in planning and strategy. Still, he expressed confidence that such efforts would be defeated, as they had been in the past.

Affirming the resolve to eliminate terrorism, Naqvi said the federation and provinces would act together against militancy. Referring to CM Bugti, he said the Chief Minister would be able to state that terrorism in the province had been resolutely dealt with.

CM Bugti thanked the Home Minister and said that after hearing about the incident, he had immediately left for Quetta where a high-level meeting was held and visit to the Combined Military Hospital to inquire after the injured.

He said the operation had been completed, although further details were still being worked out. Condemning the killing of women and children belonging to a Baloch family in Khuzdar, he said terrorists had entered a labor colony in Gwadar and carried out the attack.

The chief minister praised the courage shown by the FC, the police and the army and said the response of the security forces had been commendable. “Their (terrorists’) morale dropped; they tried to carry out such a big operation only to boost their morale and tried to increase its size, but the death rate was very low,” he added.

Paying tribute to the martyrs and veterans, he said the resistance and response of the security forces was excellent, adding that even ten such attacks cannot weaken our resolve – be it the federal government, the provincial government, the armed forces or the police – we are in very high spirits.

“We have just come after meeting the wounded; the spirit I saw in them and the spirit I saw after meeting the families of the martyrs – nobody can even bend a single hair in this country.”

The two had earlier attended funeral prayers for policemen who were martyred in Saturday’s attack.