Pakistan to hold Mar. 23 military parade on ‘limited scale’ due to Ramadan

ISLAMABAD: Six “terrorists” were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province who were involved in attacks against civilians and law enforcers, the army’s media wing said on Saturday. 

The operation took place in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Mar. 29 on the reported presence of militants there, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s media wing, said in a statement. 

“During the conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location and after an intense fire exchange, six terrorists were successfully neutralized,” the ISPR said. 

The army’s media wing said the slain militants were involved in recent “terrorist activities” in the area against law enforcement agencies and civilians. It said a sanitization operation was being conducted in the area to eliminate any other militants.

“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the statement said. 

The operation took place amid a surge in militancy in Balochistan, Pakistan’s mineral-rich province that borders Iran and Afghanistan. 

Earlier this month, militants belonging to the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked a passenger train in the province, holding hundreds of passengers hostage. 

The military launched an operation and, after a day-long standoff, rescued 354 captives and killed 33 insurgents. A final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack.

The violence refused to die down, as days later three paramilitary soldiers among five people were killed in a suicide attack in Balochistan’s Nushki district. 

Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency for decades where separatist militants demand a greater share of the province’s natural resources and accuse the central government in Islamabad of exploiting them. 

Pakistan’s government and military refute the allegations, pointing to health, education and other projects that they say will boost Balochistan’s development. 

The province is Pakistan’s largest by landmass yet its most backward by almost all economic and social indicators. 

PESHAWAR: An eight-month peace agreement was reached on Saturday between warring factions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s restive Kurram district, with all sides pledging to resolve future disputes through legal means, according to a statement shared by a police official.
Kurram, a tribal district of around 600,000 people bordering Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni tribes. Clashes between the two sides have killed more than 150 people since November, while militant attacks and retaliatory violence have claimed even more lives of people and security personnel during months of unrest.
The violence also created a humanitarian crisis, with road blockades cutting off access to food, fuel and life-saving medicines, leading to the reported deaths of dozens of children.
“Representatives of both sides agreed to maintain peace for a period of eight months in order to prevent any kind of conflict in the area and to work toward improving the situation,” said a statement shared by district police spokesperson Riaz Khan.
The deal was struck following a jirga, or tribal council, held in the presence of provincial authorities and the local administration.
The agreement builds on the Kohat Agreement, a peace framework developed last year that called for a ceasefire, disarmament, the dismantling of private bunkers in the area and government oversight to ensure sustainable peace.
“Under this agreement, if any untoward incident occurs on the road, legal action will be taken against the responsible party in accordance with the ‘Kohat Agreement,’” the statement continued.
“Both sides pledged that in the event of any incident that could harm peace in the area, they would consult with each other and seek a solution through legal means,” it added.
It was also agreed that the main road through Kurram, closed for months due to violence, will be formally reopened in a joint announcement by the government and state institutions to ease public hardship and facilitate travel.