Pakistan Says it Killed 145 BLA Militants, Accusing India of Support

Pakistan’s security establishment has moved into full counter-insurgency mode in Balochistan after a wave of coordinated gun and bomb attacks triggered one of the deadliest security operations in decades.

Authorities said at least 145 fighters were killed in a two-day manhunt launched after assaults across Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung and Noshki left nearly 50 people dead, including 31 civilians, five of them women, and 17 security personnel.

The provincial government said 92 militants were killed on Saturday and another 41 on Friday, underscoring the scale and tempo of the response.

Sarfraz Bugti, Balochistan’s chief minister, said troops and police acted on prior intelligence and disrupted what he described as a planned hostage operation.

“The bodies of these 145 killed terrorists are in our custody, and some of them are Afghan nationals,” Bugti told reporters in Quetta, adding that the attackers, which Islamabad labels as “Fitna al-Hindustan,” failed to reach the city center.

Bugti accused senior BLA leaders of operating from Afghan territory, an allegation denied by Kabul.

Officials said the attackers struck almost simultaneously at multiple sites, opening fire on security installations, attempting suicide bombings, and briefly blocking urban roads. According to Al Jazeera, the BLA hit at least 12 locations in what was described as an “audacious” operation that penetrated the provincial capital while also disrupting major highways.

“Baseless Allegations,” Regional Pushback

Pakistan’s claims of external backing drew swift denials. India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We categorically reject the ‌baseless allegations made by Pakistan,” urging Islamabad to address “longstanding demands of its people in the region.” Afghan authorities have also rejected accusations of harboring BLA leadership.

The violence fits a long pattern in Pakistan’s poorest province, where ethnic Baloch groups have waged a decades-long insurgency for greater autonomy and control over natural resources. The BLA has repeatedly targeted security forces and civilians, including Chinese nationals working on infrastructure projects.

According to Pakistan’s junior interior minister, Talal Chaudhry, attackers entered hospitals, schools, banks and markets dressed as civilians before opening fire, alleging they also used civilians as human shields.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said two of the attacks involved female fighters and warned that targets now increasingly include laborers and low-income communities.

Recent history underscores the trajectory. On Feb. 9, 2024, a bombing at Quetta’s train station killed at least 26 people and injured more than 46 in rush hour time as nearly 100 passengers waited for a train to Peshawar. The BLA claimed responsibility, with reports indicating a suicide bomber carrying 6-8 kilograms of explosives.

On May 21, 2025, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X after a blast hit a school bus on the Quetta-Karachi highway near Khuzdar, killing four children: “Attack on children in school bus by ‘Indian-sponsored terrorists’ clear proof of their hostility towards education in Balochistan.”

Civilian Targets and Security Trade-offs

Saturday’s attacks again blurred lines between military and civilian spaces. Outside a damaged shop, private security guard Jamil Ahmed Mashwani described being wounded during the assault. Burned vehicles, bullet-scarred doors, and sealed streets marked Quetta’s aftermath as patrols tightened and businesses shuttered. Residents told Al Jazeera they feared further strikes.

Washington condemned the violence, with the U.S. charge d’affaires Natalie Baker calling the assaults acts of terrorist violence and affirming U.S. solidarity with Pakistan. The BLA is designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.

The European Union also condemned the violence, saying it “strongly condemns and unequivocally rejects terrorism in all its forms” and expressed solidarity with Pakistan, offering condolences to the families of civilians and security personnel killed in Balochistan and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Islamabad is also confronting parallel threats from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) factions elsewhere in the country, stretching security resources across multiple fronts.

The current operation highlights Islamabad’s reliance on rapid, force-heavy responses paired with sweeping public restrictions. Whether that approach can disrupt insurgent networks while protecting civilians remains an open question, but the casualty figures, 145 fighters killed in days, nearly 50 victims in a single coordinated attack, and dozens more in prior incidents, underscore how quickly localized violence in Balochistan escalates into national security crises.