Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated on Friday that recent terrorist attacks in Balochistan were orchestrated to disrupt an upcoming summit hosted by Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in October.
Islamabad is set to host the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting on October 15-16 as part of its rotating chairmanship. Despite ongoing tensions over Kashmir and accusations of terrorism, Pakistan has extended an invitation to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the latest surge of violence, militants linked to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) carried out multiple attacks across Balochistan on Sunday, resulting in at least 50 deaths, including 14 security personnel.
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Addressing the Senate, Naqvi highlighted that these attacks were a coordinated effort by terrorist organizations to sabotage the SCO summit. He emphasized that the incident on August 26 was meticulously planned and involved multiple groups working together.
Naqvi also announced that Rs8 billion has been allocated for Balochistan, with Rs1 billion designated for each of the province’s eight divisions and an additional Rs5 billion for the Counterterrorism Department (CTD). These funds will be used to address various issues with the help of local officials.
The attacks earlier this week saw militants storm police stations, destroy railway tracks, and set fire to vehicles. Security forces responded, neutralizing 21 militants in the process. Tragically, 23 people in Musakhail, mostly laborers from Punjab, were killed after being forcibly removed from trucks and shot following an identity check.
Naqvi pledged full support to the Balochistan government in its fight against terrorism during his visit to the province on Tuesday. Following these attacks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the importance of a strong response, and President Asif Ali Zardari called for decisive action to eliminate terrorism.
