RAWALPINDI: security forces have killed 48 militants affiliated with what the military described as Indian proxies, including Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij, during operations in different parts of Balochistan over the past 48 to 72 hours, the Inter-Services Public Relations said Friday.
According to the military’s media wing, security forces conducted multiple intelligence-based operations in Mastung, Quetta, Kalat and Sibi, killing 36 militants in the operations.
On Sept. 4, security forces detected and engaged militant movement in Mastung, triggering an intense exchange of fire that killed six militants allegedly sponsored by India. A cache of ammunition and improvised explosive devices was also destroyed at the site, ISPR said.
In another operation in the Shaban area of Quetta, troops identified four militant hideouts. Following an exchange of fire, 26 militants were killed, according to ISPR.
Security forces also raided a militant hideout in Kalat and killed two militants. In Bhag, Sibi district, security forces, working with local residents, thwarted an attempted attack on a police station. Two militants were killed during the exchange of fire, ISPR said.
The military said sanitisation operations were underway to eliminate any remaining militants in the affected areas.
ISPR said security forces and law enforcement agencies would continue their counterterrorism campaign under the “Azm-e-Istehkam” initiative to combat foreign-sponsored terrorism in the country.
Pakistan has experienced a rise in militant violence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban returned to power.
A report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan remained Pakistan’s main violence hotspots during the second quarter of 2026. The two provinces accounted for nearly 96% of violence-related fatalities recorded nationwide during the period.
According to the report, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 475 deaths, or more than 61% of the total, while Balochistan accounted for 265 deaths, or 34%.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also recorded the highest number of violent incidents, with 151 cases, representing 57% of the national total. Balochistan followed with 94 incidents, or 35%.