QUETTA: Security forces have killed 1,100 militants and arrested more than 450 others in Balochistan over the past year, while conducting more than 60,000 security operations as authorities intensified counterterrorism efforts in Pakistan’s southwestern province.
The figures, shared by Additional Chief Secretary Hamza Shafqaat, highlight the scale of security operations in Balochistan, where militant violence has claimed 551 lives this year, including 101 police officers and more than 225 personnel from other law enforcement agencies.
Shafqaat presented the figures during a news conference in Quetta on Tuesday, outlining the province’s security operations, counterterrorism legislation and investments in law enforcement.
The reported operations include intelligence-based raids and combing operations conducted through October this year.
Rs54 Billion Invested in Security and Counterterrorism
Balochistan has invested Rs14 billion in counterterrorism and Rs40 billion in broader law-and-order initiatives, according to Shafqaat.
Over the past two years, the provincial government has also enacted 18 counterterrorism-related laws and established 17 new institutions to strengthen its security framework.
The initiatives include nine Safe City projects, the establishment of a forensic science agency and measures to improve highway security in coordination with the Frontier Corps.
Shafqaat said the government was also working to strengthen witness protection mechanisms, introduce faceless courts and establish detention facilities to improve its capacity to deal with militant activity.
Quetta-Karachi, Quetta-Taftan Highways to Be Secured
Improving security on major highways remains a key priority, as separatist militants have repeatedly targeted passengers, commuters and workers travelling through Balochistan.
Shafqaat said authorities expected to secure the Quetta-Karachi and Quetta-Taftan highways within three to four months.
The government has also placed around 1,400 individuals on the Fourth Schedule, a watchlist for people suspected of links to militancy, while approximately 3,000 families have been identified by authorities as allegedly associated with subversive activities.
Balochistan’s Security Measures Amid KP Emergency Debate
The figures come amid a political controversy over emergency measures imposed in neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the federal government removed the opposition-led provincial administration earlier this month, citing deteriorating security and a lack of cooperation in counterterrorism efforts.
Opposition politicians have questioned why similar measures were not imposed in Balochistan despite its persistent militant violence.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove rejected the comparison, arguing that cooperation with federal authorities was essential to combating militancy and that the provincial government had provided security forces with the necessary legal powers and resources.
“If similar measures had been taken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an emergency would not have been imposed there,” Langove said.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area but one of its least populous, has faced a decades-long separatist insurgency, with militants frequently targeting security personnel, infrastructure and people travelling on highways. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also experienced persistent militant violence, particularly involving the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
