Balochistan | Pakistan

At least 24 people were killed and over 20 were injured in two separate accidents on Saturday, as a truck fell into a dry canal in Punjab’s Sargodha district and a coach overturned near Balochistan’s Ormara tehsil. In Sargodha, six children were among 14 dead, while nine others were injured in the early hours of Saturday when a truck carrying cargo and passengers fell into a canal from the Galapur Bangla bridge due to fog, said Rescue 1122. According to Punjab Rescue 1122 officials, the truck was travelling from Islamabad to Faisalabad with 23 people on board for a funeral when the unfortunate incident took place. “Due to heavy fog, the motorway was closed, so the vehicle took a local route. In the area of Kot Momin tehsil, the truck fell from the Galapur bridge into the canal,” said a statement from Rescue 1122, adding that the truck “lost control because of poor visibility”. The Rescue 1122 statement added that the canal was dry, but passengers were stuck beneath the truck when it overturned. The injured we...

Chief Minister (CM) of Balochistan, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, on Saturday expressed his heartfelt condolences following a deadly accident in Gwadar, directed authorities to offer prompt medical assistance, and ensured the transportation of the victims’ bodies to their hometowns.

Security forces have killed 12 terrorists and effectively thwarted their attempt to create a hostage situation in Balochistan’s Kharan district during multiple operations, the military’s media wing said in a statement. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on January 15, “approximately fifteen to twenty Indian-sponsored terrorists of Fitna Al Hindustan carried out multiple terrorist activities in Kharan City, District Kharan.” The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna al Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. It said that during the operations, “terrorists attacked [the] City Police Station, National Bank of Pakistan and Habib Bank Limited.” They also looted Rs3.4 million from the banks. “Security forces effectively responded and engaged the terrorists, prompting them to retreat. During the ensuing clearance operation, twelve terrorists were sent to hell in three different engagements,” the ISPR said. “Terrori...

The Met Office has forecast snowfall and rain in the country’s northern areas from Friday (tomorrow) and has also predicted showers in parts of Sindh, including Karachi, and Balochistan from January 21 to 23. The Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) forecast issued on Thursday said: “A shallow westerly wave is likely to approach upper parts of the country from January 16 and may persist till January 19.” It added that the weather system was expected to strengthen from January 20 and grip most parts of the country from January 21. The PMD said that rain and thunderstorm was expected in various parts of Sindh, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jacobabad, Naushahro Feroze, Kashmore, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mirpurkhas and Ghotki on January 22 and 23 with “occasional gaps”. It also predicted the same for multiple areas of Balochistan, including Quetta, Ziarat, Chaman, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Noushki, Harnai, Zhob, Kalat, Barkhan, Sibi, Loralai, Musakhel, Turbat, Gwadar, Jiwani, Lasbell...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said Balochistan continues to face serious security challenges due to terrorism, with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir leading the Pakistan Army’s efforts to counter militant threats.

The National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) National Emergencies Operations Center (NEOC) has issued an alert warning of a severe cold wave affecting northern parts of the country and northern Balochistan.

QUETTA: Balochistan’s Home Ministry has merged the Levies Force into the police and abolished all ‘B’ areas across the province, converting them into ‘A’ areas. The two areas defined the territorial jurisdiction of law enforcement agencies within the province. The Balochistan Police acted as the law enforcement agency in ‘A’ areas, while the Levies Force operated in ‘B’ areas, functioning under the command of division and district officials. The government of Balochistan declared Sibi and Loralai divisions as ‘A-Areas’ for the territorial jurisdiction of the Balochistan Police, according to a notification issued on Monday. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Balochistan cabinet. All members of the Levies Force, including provincial and ex-Federal Levies serving in the converted areas, as well as members of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Wing, have been merged into the Balochistan Police in their existing nomenclature, ranks, pay scales, and benefits, corresponding to those applicable to me...

A severe cold wave continues to grip Balochistan, including its coastal regions, disrupting daily life in several districts of the province.

ISLAMABAD - Chairman Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani while highlighting Balochistan’s strategic role in regional connectivity and its rich natural resources on Friday urged investments in infrastructure, trade, minerals, and connectivity to uplift local communities, create employment, and promote shared national progress.

Peshawar - Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on Thursday said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan face similar security challenges due to their shared border with Afghanistan and common cultural linkages, underscoring the need for coordinated efforts to achieve lasting peace in both provinces.

PESHAWAR: After the conclusion of a tour of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi will visit Sindh and Balochistan as part of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s street movement, said his special assistant for information Shafi Jan on Monday. In a media briefing after a cabinet meeting here, Mr Jan said that the PTI delegation comprising provincial ministers and members of the assembly and led by CM Afridi, which just concluded a visit to Punjab province to launch a street movement, achieved its objectives as restrictions prevented people from freely moving with PTI flags on Lahore roads. He said the love of Punjab residents for the PTI was evident from the warm welcome accorded to the delegation on arrival in Lahore. The chief minister’s aide regretted that the chief minister was denied permission to visit the houses of some PTI workers in the cantonment area. CM tells cabinet that funding denial by Centre has badly hit uplift projects in tribal districts He wondered if a chief minister’s entry ...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, on Monday assured his full support for all efforts aimed at achieving people-centric development in Balochistan.

A report on journalism in Balochistan has highlighted how pressure, intimidation and violence from multiple actors have caused the space for press freedom to shrink in the province. The report, titled State of Media Freedoms, Access to Information and Safety of Journalists and Media Professionals in Balochistan – The Way Forward, was released by Freedom Network (FN) on Sunday and examines Balochistan’s overall media landscape, threat actors, service structures, gender dynamics, legal cases and challenges, including censorship, harassment, intimidation and dismissals from service. It notes that national television channels and newspapers have steadily reduced their bureau presence in Quetta, as digital distribution becomes the norm, leaving coverage outside the provincial capital sparse or non-existent. “Drawing on desk research, focus group discussions and key informant interviews, it (the report) finds a chronically constrained information environment in which local media are financially brittle, structurall...

Security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan‘s Kalat district, killing four terrorists, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Sunday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Saturday’s IBO took place on the reports that terrorists belonging to Fitna al Hindustan were present. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, [our] own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the ISPR said in the statement. It added that weapons and ammunition were seized from the dead terrorists, who had been actively involved in terrorist activity in the area. “Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian sponsored terrorist found in the area. [The] relentless counter-terrorism campa...

• Term algal blooms along the coast not unusual • WWF says bloom not caused by pollution • A unicellular marine organism blamed for the occurrence KARACHI: Seawater along Pakistan’s coast, especially Gwadar, Pasni, Jiwani and Ormara in Balochistan, has turned green by an algal bloom, marine experts reported on Saturday. However, they declared that the bloom posed no toxic threat. “Strong winds and ocean currents have pushed large quantities of algae toward near shores, also amassing rotting seaweeds, which has stunk up the beaches,” said Abdul Rahim, Deputy Director at the Gwadar Development Authority, adding the bloom was caused by a single-celled marine organism Noctiluca. Algal blooms, he explained were rapid growths or gathering of algae in water bodies and they could cause red, brown, green or blue pigmentation in the water, depending on the type of algae. According to the GDA official, the intensity of these blooms has increased over a decade along Balochistan’s coast. Earlier, he pointed out, there was...

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has predicted rain and snowfall in the mountainous regions of Balochistan across 29 districts from the night of December 29 until January 1.

Security forces killed four terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Panjgur district, the military’s media wing said on Saturday. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the security forces conducted an operation on December 26 on the reported presence of “Khawarij belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Khawarij”. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The statement added during the conduct of operation, “own forces effectively engaged the Khawarij location, and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored Khawarij were sent to hell”. The statement further said that weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from the killed terrorists, “who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”. Following the skirmish, a sanitization operation was initiated in the area to “eliminate any other Indian sponsored Khawarij present in the...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast that cool weather conditions will continue in Karachi over the next three days due to winds blowing from Balochistan.

Security forces killed five terrorists in an intelligence based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Kohlu district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Friday. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted on December 25 on the “reported presence of terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna-al-Hindustan”. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. The ISPR statement added that during the conduct of the operation, “own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, five Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell”. The military’s media wing elaborated that weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, “who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area”. “Sanitization operations are being conducted to eliminate any other Indian...

Security forces neutralised 10 terrorists, including a high-value target, in separate intelligence-based operations (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district and Balochistan‘s Kalat district, the military’s media affairs wing said in separate statements on Thursday. On December 24, (yesterday) two khawarij were killed in an IBO in DI Khan‘s Kulachi area, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in Thursday’s statement, using the term designating members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location. Resultantly, two khawarij, including kharji ring leader Dilawar, were sent to hell,” the statement read. According to the ISPR, Dilawar was wanted by law enforcement agencies due to his involvement in terrorist activity and the government had put an Rs4 million bounty on him. The statement added that weapons and ammunition were recovered from the dead terrorists, who remained actively involved in terrorist activi...