The Crossbill News Desk
India on Sunday (February 1) dismissed allegations from Pakistan linking New Delhi to a series of deadly militant attacks in Balochistan, describing the claims as an attempt to shift blame away from Islamabad’s domestic failures.
At least 33 civilians and security personnel were killed in the coordinated attacks that struck multiple locations across the province on Saturday.
“Instead of parroting frivolous claims each time there is a violent incident,” said external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Islamabad “would do better to focus on addressing long-standing demands of its people in the region”.
Pakistan’s record of “suppression, brutality and violation of human rights is well known”, Jaiswal added.
The attacks involved suicide bombings and gun assaults on civilians, a high-security prison, police stations and paramilitary installations.
According to the Pakistani military, 18 civilians — including women, children and the elderly — and 15 security personnel were killed.
Reuters quoted junior interior minister Talal Chaudhry as saying that militants, disguised as civilians, entered hospitals, schools, banks and markets before opening fire.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) later claimed responsibility for the violence. Pakistan’s military said on Sunday that security forces killed 92 insurgents, including three suicide bombers.
A day earlier, the armed forces had reported killing 41 militants, the military spokesperson said.
Referring to the attackers as ‘Fitna al Hindustan’, a term used by Pakistan’s government and military for Baloch militants to allege Indian backing, the spokesperson reiterated claims of external involvement. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi also blamed India during a press conference.
“The most important thing that is necessary for the world to know now is that these terrorists are not normal terrorists. India is behind those attacks,” Naqvi said, accusing New Delhi of planning the violence and providing financial support to militants. Other Pakistani officials echoed similar allegations.
Abdullah Khan, managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, told the Associated Press that the “terrorists linked to BLA or other groups had never before been killed in such a large number in a single day” in Balochistan.
In recent months, Baloch separatist groups and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have stepped up attacks across Pakistan. The TTP is a separate organisation but is allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021. Balochistan has long witnessed an insurgency led by separatist groups demanding independence from Pakistan’s federal government in Islamabad.
At least 33 civilians and security personnel were killed in the coordinated attacks that struck multiple locations across the province on Saturday.
“Instead of parroting frivolous claims each time there is a violent incident,” said external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Islamabad “would do better to focus on addressing long-standing demands of its people in the region”.
Pakistan’s record of “suppression, brutality and violation of human rights is well known”, Jaiswal added.
The attacks involved suicide bombings and gun assaults on civilians, a high-security prison, police stations and paramilitary installations.
According to the Pakistani military, 18 civilians — including women, children and the elderly — and 15 security personnel were killed.
Reuters quoted junior interior minister Talal Chaudhry as saying that militants, disguised as civilians, entered hospitals, schools, banks and markets before opening fire.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) later claimed responsibility for the violence. Pakistan’s military said on Sunday that security forces killed 92 insurgents, including three suicide bombers.
A day earlier, the armed forces had reported killing 41 militants, the military spokesperson said.
Referring to the attackers as ‘Fitna al Hindustan’, a term used by Pakistan’s government and military for Baloch militants to allege Indian backing, the spokesperson reiterated claims of external involvement. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi also blamed India during a press conference.
“The most important thing that is necessary for the world to know now is that these terrorists are not normal terrorists. India is behind those attacks,” Naqvi said, accusing New Delhi of planning the violence and providing financial support to militants. Other Pakistani officials echoed similar allegations.
Abdullah Khan, managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, told the Associated Press that the “terrorists linked to BLA or other groups had never before been killed in such a large number in a single day” in Balochistan.
In recent months, Baloch separatist groups and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have stepped up attacks across Pakistan. The TTP is a separate organisation but is allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021. Balochistan has long witnessed an insurgency led by separatist groups demanding independence from Pakistan’s federal government in Islamabad.
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