Islamabad - At least 73 people were killed in armed attacks on police stations, railway lines, and highways by separatists and retaliatory actions by security forces in Pakistan's troubled Baluchistan province.
The attacks by Baloch separatists were the most widespread military operations in the past several years.
These are part of a decades-long effort by these insurgents to seek secession from the resource-rich southwestern province of Balochistan.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement, These attacks are a well-thought-out plan to spread chaos in Pakistan. 14 soldiers and police personnel and 21 militants were killed.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti says that 38 civilians were also killed in these attacks.
Local authorities said that 23 of them were shot dead by gunmen who took them out of their vehicles and set fire to their vehicles after checking their identity cards while traveling on a highway. Sarfaraz Bugti said during a press conference that these people were taken off the buses and killed in front of their families.
He further said that more intelligence-based operations would be launched to wipe out the militants. He also signaled to curtail mobile data services to prevent militant nexus. They initiate attacks, film it, and then share them on social media for propaganda, he said.
Dark Windstorm
The armed separatist group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which it calls the heroof or dark storm. In a statement to reporters, he claimed more attacks yesterday, which authorities have not yet confirmed.
Four suicide bombers, including one of its women, also attacked a paramilitary base in Gwadar's southern port district of Bela, the group said.
Pakistani authorities have not confirmed the suicide bombings, but the provincial chief minister said that three people were killed in the attack on the base.
The BLA is the largest of several ethnic insurgent groups active in the province, which has been fighting the central government for decades. These rebel groups say that the central government is illegally exploiting the natural gas and mineral resources coming out of Balochistan.
This group wants independence of the province and the expulsion of China from the province. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif vowed that the security forces will retaliate and bring those responsible to justice. European Commission spokesperson Nabila Misrali said that the European Union condemns this attack.
It should be noted that Balochistan borders both Iran and Afghanistan. It is the largest province of Pakistan in terms of area, but it is also the smallest in terms of population and the most backward with the highest level of poverty.
