Terrorists | Pakistan

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Thursday that terrorists were receiving “state patronage” in Afghanistan, from where they launched attacks on Pakistan. His comments come against the backdrop of a tumultuous security situation in Balochistan, which has worsened in recent months, as terrorists, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. The banned so-called Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), in particular, has adopted new tactics to inflict higher casualties and directly target Pakistani security forces. Islamabad, for the last couple of years, has been insisting that terrorists use Afghan soil to lauch attacks across the country. Kabul, however, denies the allegations. Responding to a question during a press conference in Islamabad, CM Bugti reiterated the state’s narrative and said, “Terrorists were provided safe havens and places to run training camps in Afghanistan.” He highlighted that many among the recently killed terrorists wer...

Terrorists on Wednesday blew up a gas pipeline in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, resulting in a suspension of gas supply to Punjab, police said. Lakki Marwat police spokesperson Aamir Khan told Dawn.com that the terrorists detonated explosives planted on the pipeline within the limits of the Bhana Manjiwala area of the district. “Officials have initiated a search operation in the area to locate the culprits,” he said. He added that the explosion resulted in a large crater at the site, leading to a complete halt of gas supply from the district to Punjab’s Mianwali region. Following the explosion, a large contingent of police and a bomb disposal squad arrived at the scene and began a search operation in the surrounding area. Police officials noted that the location had previously experienced three similar attacks on the main transmission gas pipeline. In July, a gas pipeline leading to Punjab was also blown up near the Wanda Amir area of Lakki Marwat, causing a similar suspension of supply. Later i...

BAJAUR: Terrorists in Bajaur district have conditionally agreed to vacate civilian areas, but would not leave the district completely, sources said on Saturday. The second round of talks between Bajaur Aman (peace) Jirga members and local terrorist leaders aimed at convincing them to leave the region ended on Saturday, said the sources. They told Dawn that talks between the 50-member peace jirga and terrorist leaders were held in the Lowi Mamund tehsil. The terrorists had requested a day’s time at the Friday meeting to consult their leadership over the jirga’s two-point demands — either to return to Afghanistan or retreat to the mountains if they wanted to fight the security forces, as their presence posed a serious threat to locals. However, the sources said that no significant development took place in this crucial meeting, meant to convince the terrorist to leave the region peacefully. The details of the meeting, which started at around 3pm and ended late on Saturday evening, have yet to be formally disclo...

Terrorists have blown up a gas pipeline in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district which supplied gas to Punjab, police said on Wednesday. Assistant spokesperson to the Lakki Marwar’s district police officer, Qudratullah, said, “The explosion triggered a fire and caused a massive gas leak. The pipeline was attacked in the Torwah seasonal stream area, which provided cover for the perpetrators.” Calling the incident a “major act of sabotage”, Qudratullah added: The khawarij (terrorist) operatives targeted a key gas pipeline from the Bettani Gas Field to Punjab, using explosives to destroy a main section of the line.“ “Soon after the blast, security forces were dispatched to the site and cordoned off the area,” Qudratullah further said, adding that emergency teams had also been mobilised to control the fire and assess the extent of the damage. “Investigations are underway to identify and apprehend those involved in the attack,” he said. “Officials have condemned the incident as an assault on critical national...