By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Security forces killed four militants linked to a group accused of receiving Indian support during an intelligence-based operation in the restive Balochistan Province, the military said on Sunday, as the country grapples with a surge in terrorist attacks.
The operation unfolded on Saturday in Kalat District, based on reports of the presence of fighters from a group the government has labeled Fitna al Hindustan, a term meant to underscore allegations of Indian involvement in destabilising activities across Pakistan. “During the conduct of the operation, own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, four Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations, said in a statement.
Weapons and ammunition were recovered from the militants, who had been actively involved in terrorist activities in the area, the statement added. Sanitization operations were underway to clear any remaining threats, part of a broader counterterrorism push under the banner of Azm-i-Istehkam, a strategy approved by the federal government’s apex committee on the National Action Plan. “Relentless counter-terrorism campaign … by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the military said.
President Asif Ali Zardari praised the security forces for the raid. “The war against terrorism perpetrated by external interference will continue,” he said, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan.
The clash came a day after a similar operation in Balochistan’s Panjgur District, where forces killed four militants tied to Fitna al Khawarij, a designation for members of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, also accused of Indian backing. In that raid on Friday, security forces engaged the militants in a fierce firefight, followed by efforts to sweep the area for others.
Earlier this month, 12 militants were killed in another operation in Kalat, highlighting the province’s role as a hotbed for insurgent activity. Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in violence, particularly in Balochistan and the neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, since the Taliban seized control in Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly called on Kabul to stop terrorist groups from using Afghan territory as a launchpad for cross-border attacks. The country ranked second on the Global Terrorism Index for 2025, released by the Institute for Economics and Peace, with deaths from terrorist incidents climbing 45 percent from the previous year. The index tracks trends in terrorism over the past 17 years, painting a picture of escalating threats in the region.
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