PM Shehbaz arrives in Quetta for high-level security meeting

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is chairing a meeting of the Provincial Apex Committee under the National Action Plan (NAP) in Quetta to review the security situation in Balochistan, after the province witnessed three major terrorist incidents over the past four days.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Balochistan Governor Jaffar Khan Mandokhail, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, and the heads of law enforcement agencies were also in attendance.

Earlier, upon arrival on a day-long visit, the prime minister was received by the Balochistan governor, chief minister, and senior civil and military officials.

Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah are accompanying him during the visit, the PMO added.

PM Shehbaz’s visit came in the wake of recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan, where 42 security personnel and civilians were martyred in three major incidents across the province this week.

A day earlier, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, while briefing the media on the province’s security situation, said Balochistan had witnessed three major terrorist incidents over the past four days.

He said 42 security personnel and civilians were martyred in different parts of the province, including 10 soldiers who lost their lives when an army convoy came under attack in the Bela area of Winder.

Read: Forces rain wrath on terrorists in Balochistan

On Tuesday, terrorists ambushed police personnel deployed in the Kach Mangi Phase III area of Ziarat, triggering hours-long gun battles that left nine police officers, including two station house officers (SHOs), dead. Terrorists also abducted several civilians and police personnel after the attack. Five of the abducted civilians later managed to escape, while security forces successfully rescued a constable during the operation.

Also on Tuesday, CM Bugti chaired a meeting in Ziarat after nine policemen were martyred in a terrorist attack. In a statement, Bugti warned that anyone challenging the writ of the state will face only defeat and destruction.

The Chief Minister reaffirmed that indiscriminate operations against terrorists and their facilitators will continue until the last militant is eliminated. He stressed that those who raise arms against the state will find no refuge in Balochistan.

Bugti emphasised that there will be no compromise on the peace, stability, and development of Balochistan, and every conspiracy against the province will be crushed with strength, determination, and national unity.