QUETTA: Pakistan is working out the operational details, scope and scale of a planned military operation in the insurgency-plagued southwestern Balochistan province, officials said this week, with analysts saying pressure from Beijing had convinced Islamabad it was time to take on separatist militants in a region that is home to key Chinese Belt and Road projects.
Following a string of deadly attacks that have targeted its citizens in recent months, China has pushed to join security efforts to protect them and unveiled a plan on Tuesday for joint counter-terrorism exercises in Pakistan. On the same day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of civil and military leaders who gave the go-ahead for a “comprehensive operation” against separatist insurgents in Balochistan.
The statement from the prime minister’s office did not give any details of the operation, including whether it was limited to ground operations or could involve the air force, when it would be launched and in which parts of the vast, remote Balochistan province. It also did not mention if the plan would be a joint effort with Beijing and which Pakistani security agencies would take part.
“Nothing has been finalized yet because the meeting was held on Tuesday and further progress regarding the military operation will take time,” Wasim Akram, an information officer at the Ministry of Interior, told Arab News, adding that the scale of the operation and which forces would participate were details that were still being worked out.
Balochistan Government Spokesperson Shahid Rind and Special Secretary Home Department Abdul Nasir Dotani also did not share any specific details on the operation’s scope and scale.
“It was decided in the federal apex committee and it is clear it will be a comprehensive military operation,” Rind told Arab News.
Balochistan Home Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar could not be reached for comment despite several attempts.
“PRESSURE FROM CHINA”
Pakistan’s military already has a huge presence in Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran and is home to a decades-long separatist insurgency by militants fighting for a separate homeland to win a larger share of benefits from the resource-rich province. The government and military deny they are exploiting the province’s mineral wealth or ignoring its economic development.
The military has long run intelligence-based operations against insurgent groups, the most prominent being the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has escalated attacks in recent months on the military and nationals from longtime ally China.
The region is home to the Gwadar Port, built by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $65 billion investment in President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative to expand China’s global reach.
In addition to the recent attacks, the BLA also claimed a suicide bombing last month outside the international airport in the southern port city of Karachi that killed two Chinese engineers.
“There shouldn’t be any ambiguity that Pakistan is facing internal and external pressure, mainly from China, to launch this new offensive against Baloch separatist militants,” Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, a senior fellow at King’s College in London and a military affairs expert, told Arab News.
“There is increasing pressure from the Chinese government and they are not willing to financially assist Pakistan anymore until the security situation gets better … Pakistan has to demonstrate to the Chinese that we are doing something in Balochistan against Baloch militant groups.”
Shahzad Zulfiqar, a senior journalist who has been covering militancy in Balochistan for over two decades, concurred with Dr. Siddiqa, also pointing to reports that China was pushing Pakistan to allow its own security staff to protect thousands of Chinese citizens working in the South Asian nation.
“Though Pakistan has been taking action against militant groups involved in attacking Chinese nationals, now there is pressure from China which is asking Pakistan to work on a joint security mechanism because Chinese citizens are being targeted and are under threat,” he said.
The foreign office in Islamabad this month denied international media reports Beijing wanted its own security forces on the ground in Pakistan.
Pakistan had raised a security force to protect Chinese nationals and projects, particularly those operating under the CPEC umbrella, and “this security apparatus continues to provide security to Chinese CPEC projects inside Pakistan,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch told reporters on Nov. 14:
“Pakistan and China have a robust dialogue and cooperation on a range of issues including counterterrorism and security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan … We will continue to work with our Chinese brothers for the safety and security of Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan.”
“NO MILITARY SOLUTIONS”
Ethnic Baloch separatists have launched several insurgencies in Balochistan since the birth of Pakistan in 1947, including from 1948-50, 1958–60, 1962–63 and 1973–1977. An ongoing low-level insurgency began in 2003. The army has launched several military campaigns in response, including as early as 1948 in the state of Kalat and a five-year-long operation in the 70s under Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
“Many political governments have come and gone in Balochistan but the operation has continued,” Sardar Akhter Jan Mengal, head of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) and a prominent Baloch nationalist leader in the province, told Arab News.
“No one can resolve Balochistan’s political issue with military operations.”
Indeed, political leaders and independent analysts have for years urged the government to take a holistic approach to resolving Balochistan’s problems, which they say stems from decades of economic deprivation and political disenfranchisement. The province, which comprises 44 percent of Pakistan’s total land mass, is its most backward by almost all economic and social indicators.
Rich in land and mineral wealth, most parts of the region often lack even the rudiments of modern life. For instance, though home to Reko Diq, one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits, and the site of major Chinese investment projects, the province lacks employment opportunities and basic facilities like Internet, health and education.
Balochistan is also the least represented in Pakistan’s parliament, where legislative seats are allocated to provinces according to their population. Balochistan has a population of only 14.89 million people in a country of over 240 million and is hence allocated only 16 National Assembly seats. Punjab, with a much smaller land area but a population of 127.68 million, gets 141 seats.
Zulfiqar, the journalist, said military operations needed to be combined with social and economic development as well as “good governance” efforts to be successful.
“This will be the fifth military operation in Balochistan since 1947,” he said. “Military operations are not the only solution to bring peace and stability in Balochistan, there should be more options involved with the military operation, including dialogue and good governance.”
In fact, many fear another military operation in the province will further alienate its citizens, rights activists and political leaders, who have long accused security agencies of arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and other types of rights abuses in the name of cracking down on separatists. The state denies it is involved in such activities.
“This military operation will put more fuel in the fire of hate in Balochistan rather than extinguish it,” BNP’s Mengal said.
Nawab Aslam Raisani, a provincial lawmaker and a senior political and tribal leader in the province, also warned against a military operation.
“We haven’t seen any result of the use of military force,” he said. “This new decision of the apex committee to launch a military operation in Balochistan will push the federation toward more destruction.”
Pushed by Beijing, Pakistan plans military operation against Baloch separatists — analysts
https://arab.news/zaw68
Pushed by Beijing, Pakistan plans military operation against Baloch separatists — analysts
- Government has announced operation but not shared details of scale, scope, whether it will be joint effort with China
- Analysts say military solutions will not work in Balochistan, plagued by low-level separatist insurgency since decades
Pakistan’s national airline concludes month-long post-Hajj flight operation
- Pakistan International Airlines’ final post-Hajj flight arrived in Islamabad from Madinah, says airline
- PIA says repatriated over 41,500 pilgrims in total since June 10 using Boeing 777, Airbus A320 aircraft
KARACHI: Pakistan’s national flag carrier announced concluding its month-long post-Hajj flight operation on Thursday, saying it had repatriated 41,500 pilgrims since June 10 from Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan concluded its 33-day pre-Hajj flight operation in May, transporting more than 115,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia under both the government and private schemes for the annual Islamic pilgrimage. The Pakistan International Airline (PIA) began its post-Hajj flight operation on June 10.
The final post-Hajj flight operated by PIA arrived in Islamabad from Madinah at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, the national airline’s spokesperson said in a statement.
“In total, over 41,500 pilgrims were repatriated to Pakistan via 147 flights operated by PIA,” the spokesperson said. “PIA maintained an on-time departure rate of over 90 percent for its Hajj flights.”
The airline said its post-Hajj operation was conducted from Pakistan’s Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Multan and Peshawar cities. The airline used its Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 aircraft for the operation.
“Pilgrims expressed satisfaction with the arrangements made by PIA,” the airline’s spokesperson said.
Pakistan has already started the registration process for Hajj 2026, with over 313,000 individuals completing the process. Intending pilgrims can register for the annual Islamic pilgrimage next year through the religion ministry’s online portal and 15 designated banks.
Pakistan has extended the deadline to register for Hajj 2026 till July 11.
Awami National Party leader killed as militant violence escalates in northwest Pakistan
- Another person with ANP’s Maulana Zeb Khan shot dead by unidentified militants, says CM Office
- ANP spokesperson Ihsan Ullah pays tribute to Khan, says he spoke out against militants frequently
ISLAMABAD: Two people, including a senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), were shot dead by unidentified assailants in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province on Thursday, the chief minister’s office said.
Maulana Zeb Khan, a leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), was shot dead along with another person in KP’s Bajaur tribal district by unknown persons, the chief minister’s office said. English language newspaper Dawn quoted police as saying that the politician was shot dead in Bajaur’s Shindai Mor while campaigning for a peace parade scheduled for July 13 when he was attacked.
ANP spokesperson Ihsan Ullah paid tribute to Khan, saying he frequently spoke out against militants and was a key member of the party, serving as its central secretary of ulema affairs.
“Two people, including Maulana Khan Zeb, were killed in Bajaur in a firing incident by unidentified assailants,” KP Chief Minister’s Office said in a statement, adding that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the incident.
The KP chief minister directed authorities to prepare a report on the incident and ordered immediate action against those responsible for Khan’s killing.
The incident takes place amid an alarming surge in militant attacks, especially in KP’s tribal districts such as Bajaur, in recent years. Despite past military operations, recent attacks on security forces, clerics and politicians highlight growing instability in the area.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the incident. However, suspicion is likely to fall on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit that has launched some of the deadliest attacks targeting law enforcers, politicians and civilians since 2007.
Pakistan says Afghanistan-based militant groups launch attacks inside Pakistani territory, a claim Kabul has strongly denied. Islamabad also blames New Delhi for funding and arming these militant groups, which India also denies.
Pakistan police detain eight Sindh building authority officials after Karachi building collapse
- Twenty-seven people died when dilapidated building in Lyari collapsed last Friday
- Incident exposes issue of unsafe housing in city home to over 20 million people
KARACHI: Eight officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and the owners of a building that collapsed in Karachi last week have been detained in connection with the incident, Pakistani police said on Thursday.
A five-story residential building, Fotan Mansion, collapsed last Friday around 10 am in the impoverished Lyari neighborhood of Karachi, trapping dozens under the rubble and prompting a large-scale rescue operation. Rescue officials recovered 27 bodies from the rubble after three days.
The collapse of the dilapidated building once again exposed the persistent issue of unsafe and poorly regulated housing in Karachi, Pakistan’s most populous city, which is home to over 20 million people. The rapid urbanization and weak enforcement of building codes have put countless residents at risk.
“We have detained eight officials of the SBCA and the owners of the building in connection with the first information report regarding the building collapse in Lyari,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) City Arif Aziz told Arab News.
The complaint was registered under criminal sections covering public servant misconduct, negligence in building safety, unintentional death, intentional bodily harm and property damage. These offenses carry penalties ranging from fines and short-term imprisonment to financial compensation and long-term jail.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah suspended Director General SBCA Ishaque Khuhro and ordered an inquiry over the incident on Monday.
He also directed the SBCA to carry out safety inspections of all buildings in the city. The Sindh government announced Rs1 million ($3,513) in compensation for the families of the 27 victims.
Many of the building’s occupants were members of the low-income Hindu minority community, and residents estimated that around 40 people were inside when the structure collapsed.
Fotan Mansion had been declared unsafe three years ago, according to the SBCA. This incident is the latest in a series of deadly building collapses in Karachi.
In February 2020, a five-story building in Rizvia Society collapsed, killing at least 27 people. The following month, another residential structure in Gulbahar came down, claiming 16 lives.
In June 2021, a three-story building in Malir collapsed, resulting in four deaths. Just last year, in August, a building collapse in Qur’angi killed at least three people.
Pakistan delegation concludes UAE visit under governance exchange program
- Meetings focused on digital governance, tax reform and service delivery
- Delegation seeks to adopt UAE best practices in innovation, institutional performance
ISLAMABAD: A high-level Pakistani government delegation on Thursday concluded an official visit to the United Arab Emirates as part of a program aimed at sharing knowledge and best practices in governance and public sector modernization.
The delegation, led by Bilal Azhar Kayani, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Finance and Railways and Head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, participated in the UAE Government’s Experience Exchange Programme (EEP). The initiative is aligned with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif’s wider push for institutional reform and better service delivery across the country’s public sector.
During the visit, the eight-member team held detailed sessions with senior UAE officials to learn about digital governance, tax system modernization, leadership development, and innovation in public service.
“Kayani expressed gratitude to the UAE Government for facilitating valuable knowledge-sharing engagements in areas such as digital governance, public service delivery, and tax system modernization,” the Pakistan Embassy in Abu Dhabi said in an official statement.
On the final day of the program, the Pakistani delegation met senior Emirati officials including Mohammad Al Sharhan, Managing Director of the World Governments Summit, Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director General of the UAE Federal Tax Authority, Saeed Al Eter, Chair of the UAE Government Media Office, Dr. Waleed Al Ali, Secretary General of The Digital School and Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation.
The sessions focused on the UAE’s approach to future foresight, media communication, and performance management in governance.
Kayani “underscored Pakistan’s commitment to adopting global best practices in digital governance, efficiency, and public sector competitiveness to enhance service delivery and institutional performance,” the statement added.
The visit builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 16, 2025, between the UAE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives. The agreement aims to strengthen cooperation in governance excellence and institutional capacity-building.
The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners and an important source of foreign remittances, with more than 1.7 million Pakistani expatriates living and working in the Emirates. According to Pakistan’s Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, the UAE is the second-largest destination for Pakistani migrant workers after Saudi Arabia.
In recent years, bilateral trade has grown steadily, reaching nearly $10 billion in 2024, driven by energy imports, textiles, and other goods. Pakistani workers in the UAE sent home over $5 billion in remittances last fiscal year, providing vital foreign exchange for the country’s economy.
The two countries maintain close ties in investment, defense cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges, underpinned by shared commitments to economic development and regional stability.
Pakistan army chief calls visits to US, Gulf, Central Asia ‘successful diplomatic maneuver’
- Munir’s remarks preset rare public statement by military on the country’s high-level diplomatic outreach
- Says meetings with Trump, other US leaders allowed Pakistan to present views on bilateral, regional issues
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, on Thursday described his recent visits to the United States, Gulf nations and Central Asia as a “successful diplomatic maneuver,” in a rare public statement by the military on the country’s high-level foreign policy engagements.
Munir made the remarks during a closed-door briefing to senior commanders at the 271st Corps Commanders’ Conference, held at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, according to a statement issued by the military’s media wing.
In May and June, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by senior ministers and Munir, visited Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkiye, Iran, and Azerbaijan as part of Islamabad’s broader diplomatic outreach in the wake of its four-day confrontation with India in May and as tensions escalated in the Middle East.
Last month, Munir was also hosted to a unprecedented two-hour-long lunch by US President Donald Trump at the White House, with no civilian leaders present. The two leaders discussed regional conflicts including India-Pakistan and Iran-Israel tensions, as well as economic development, trade, cryptocurrency, critical minerals and IT.
“The COAS shared details of Pakistan’s proactive and successful diplomatic maneuver, including recent visits to Iran, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, KSA and UAE, where the COAS accompanied the honorable prime minister,” the army’s media wing said in a statement.
“Forum was also briefed on the historic and unique visit of the COAS to US, where meetings with top-tier leadership, afforded an opportunity to share firsthand, Pakistan’s objective perspective on bilateral, regional and extra-regional developments.”
According to the ISPR, the commanders’ forum also conducted a “holistic review” of internal and external security dynamics, with particular focus on developments in the Middle East and Iran. It said the growing global trend toward the use of force as a preferred policy tool highlighted the need for “persistent development of self-reliant capabilities, national unity and resolve.”
Pakistan has long accused India of supporting militant groups that carry out attacks inside its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, an allegation New Delhi denies. The military’s statement said Indian intelligence agencies were continuing to back anti-Pakistan proxies.
“Forum strongly asserted that it is imperative to take decisive and holistic actions at all levels against the Indian-backed and sponsored proxies,” the ISPR said.
Pakistan’s powerful military has ruled the country directly for nearly half of its history and retains significant influence over foreign and security policy, even under civilian governments. In recent weeks, top officials have increasingly described the current governance model as a “hybrid system” in which the military and civilian leaders co-share power.
