ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for national unity to fight a surge in militancy as he visited the southwestern Balochistan province, where militants killed 18 Pakistani soldiers in an attack last week.
The Pakistan army said on Saturday 18 security forces had been killed while trying to thwart an “act of terrorism” in the insurgency-plagued Balochistan province, adding that 23 militants were killed in subsequent clearance operations.
The army said the attack took place in Kalat district’s Mangochar town on the night between Friday and Saturday when militants attempted to establish roadblocks in the area. The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the most prominent separatist groups operating in the southwestern province, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Sharif arrived in Balochistan’s provincial capital of Quetta on a day-long visit to review the law-and-order situation in the region, where he was received by Balochistan Governor Jafar Khan Mandokhel and Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti.
“Today, I want to say this before the entire Pakistani nation that this is not the time to differentiate. This is not the time for politics,” Sharif said in televised comments.
“We will do politics [later], but today, a major challenge [of militancy] is facing the nation, let us confront it together with unity and consensus, let us establish peace in the country, and then politics will also be done, and God willing, political stages will be set.”
Sharif also visited injured soldiers at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Quetta and appreciated their firm resolve to root out militancy, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Security personnel are rendering their blood and the entire nation pays salute to their sacrifices and express solidarity with them,” he said, adding that militants do not want the people of Balochistan to prosper.
“Development of Balochistan is a top priority for the government. Efforts are being made to provide quality health and education facilities, as well as employment opportunities in the province.”
BALOCHISTAN INSURGENCY
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by landmass and rich in mineral resources, has long faced a low-level insurgency led by separatist groups like the BLA, who accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources while neglecting the local population.
Pakistani governments have for decades denied these allegations, saying they have prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.
The BLA has emerged as a significant security threat in recent months, carrying out major attacks in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan and targeting security forces, ethnic Punjabis they consider outsiders in Balochistan, as well as Chinese interests and nationals working on investment projects.
Over 50 people, including security forces, were killed in August last year in a string of attacks in Balochistan claimed by the BLA. Last month, dozens of fighters of the separatist outfit gained control of a small town in Khuzdar for hours. They snatched weapons and vehicles from the local Levies paramilitary force and set the Levies station on fire.
Violence by Baloch separatist factions, primarily the BLA, killed about 300 people last year, according to official statistics, marking an escalation in the decades-long conflict.
PM urges national unity against militancy after attack kills 18 soldiers in Pakistan’s southwest
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PM urges national unity against militancy after attack kills 18 soldiers in Pakistan’s southwest
- The soldiers were killed in a militant attack in Kalat district of insurgency-hit Balochistan province
- Shehbaz Sharif reviews law and order, says militants do not want Balochistan residents to prosper
