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ISLAMABAD, Feb 02 (APP):Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah Khan, on Monday informed the Senate that the perpetrators of recent terrorist incidents in Balochistan were enemies of Pakistan and were acting on the directives of anti-Pakistan elements.
Responding to points raised by Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Raja Nasir Abbas, he said that around 177 terrorists had been eliminated, while 17 personnel of law-enforcement agencies and 33 civilians had embraced martyrdom in terrorist attacks in Balochistan. Such elements could not be portrayed as “angry” or aggrieved groups, he added.
Giving details, he said that out of the total 17 martyred law-enforcement personnel, 10 were police officials, six were Frontier Corps personnel and one was from the Levies. He said the 33 civilians were also martyred after terrorists stormed their homes and residential areas.
He went on to say that criminal and terrorist activities could be carried out anywhere by small armed groups, even in relatively secure areas, but the pattern of violence witnessed in Balochistan reflected organised terrorism rather than isolated criminal acts.
Sanaullah said terrorists in Balochistan had repeatedly stopped buses, checked passengers’ identity cards and executed innocent citizens in front of their families, including women and children.
He said such brutality had also been witnessed in attacks on trains, including the Jaffar Express, where passengers were taken hostage, humiliated and then murdered in cold blood.
“These are acts of extreme savagery that no sane human being can justify,” he said, questioning the narrative that such groups were merely “disgruntled.”
The SAPM said that after recent terrorist operations, the bodies of killed terrorists were even forcibly taken from hospitals in Quetta, raising serious questions about the motives and narratives of those claiming to speak for “rights.”
He said the terrorists were acting as operatives of a hostile country, seeking to avenge the defeat suffered by enemy forces in Operation Sindoor and earlier confrontations, particularly after Pakistan’s armed forces had demonstrated their strength and professionalism, earning pride for the entire nation.
He said security forces had thwarted attempts by terrorists to breach the Quetta Red Zone and neutralised them wherever they attempted to operate. “They could not withstand direct engagement with the forces and were forced to flee back to their hideouts,” he added.
Sanaullah recalled that after the APS Peshawar tragedy, the entire nation had united under the leadership of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, leading to decisive operations that brought terrorism close to zero.
He rejected any linkage between terrorism and political demands such as elections, saying the terrorists had no public mandate, no political agenda and no belief in the democratic system.
He urged all political forces to adopt a unified national stance against terrorism, fully support law-enforcement agencies and the armed forces, and honour the sacrifices of martyrs and their families.