President says terrorists seeking to hinder Balochistan’s development will be defeated ‘at all costs’

President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday said attempts by “terrorists operating with foreign support” to hinder Balochistan’s development would be defeated “at all costs”, the President’s Office said.

Speaking during a meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, Zardari said the government would not allow terrorism to obstruct the province’s progress.

“The day is not far when terrorism will be completely eradicated from Balochistan,” he said.

Zardari stressed that effective coordination between the federal and provincial governments was essential for “peace, development and public welfare” in Balochistan. He said Balochistan, “Pakistan’s largest province by area”, deserved special attention and resources.

The president was briefed on the overall situation in Balochistan and ongoing development initiatives, the President’s Office added.

PPP Women’s Wing President Faryal Talpur and former Balochistan minister Mir Ali Hassan Zehri also attended the meeting.

The meeting comes amid a spate of attacks across Balochistan in recent weeks. On July 28, three people, including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Murid Bugti, were killed in Barkhan district.

The same night, armed men blocked the N-40 highway at Padag in Chagai district, opened fire near a roadside hotel, injured a truck driver, and set five trailers and two gas bowsers ablaze.

Read: Six abducted labourers found dead in Balochistan’s Kech

The violence followed another high-profile attack on July 23, when District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar and his security guard were killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle on the national highway in Mastung. Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari and another passenger were seriously injured in the attack.

Earlier, on July 12, five labourers from Punjab were shot dead in Mashkail, Washuk district. According to Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind, the victims were working at local shops when unidentified armed men stormed the area and opened indiscriminate fire, killing all five before fleeing.

Terrorism has significantly increased in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, in recent days. The rise in terrorist activity has led to growing concerns over the security situation in these regions. In response, security forces have been conducting intensive operations to counter the threat, targeting terrorist groups.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in a report released in February, also drew attention to a series of attacks by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) against Pakistani security forces and projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Read more: Number of terrorists killed in Balochistan’s Operation Al-Azm reaches 13

“On September 16, 2025, the BLA ambushed a Pakistani military convoy patrolling the corridor, killing 32 troops. While counter-terrorism operations by Pakistan restricted the BLA’s operational space, it remained active”.

The report added that some member states reported that the BLA collaborated with the TTP and ISIL-K through shared training camps and resources, coordinating attacks and meetings between commanders. Some member states assessed that there was neither an association nor growing ties between the BLA and Al Qaeda or ISIL.

It further highlighted that various groups in Afghanistan had acquired modern weapons and equipment through cross-border smuggling and black-market trade. “TTP used advanced assault rifles, night-vision devices, thermal-imaging devices, sniper systems and drone attack systems. Most of these were provided by the de facto authorities in conjunction with weapons permits and travel documents,” it said.

In August 2025, the UN’s 1988 Taliban sanctions committee monitoring team’s annual report said outlawed terrorist groups – BLA, including its Majeed Brigade, and TTP had “close coordination”.

The UNSC report said “some BLA attacks showed a high degree of complexity and brutality”, citing the hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan on March 11, 2025, which killed 31 people, including 21 hostages.