ISLAMABAD: The top elected official in Pakistan’s south-western province of Balochistan on Saturday (Sept 12) ruled out negotiations with insurgents, indicating that the government will continue operations in which hundreds of militants have been killed in recent months.
Balochistan has long faced a separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch groups who regularly target security forces and civilians working on development projects. While Pakistan’s government says it has quelled the insurgency, violence has persisted.
Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan, said in a statement that the "fight against terrorism would continue until the last terrorist is eliminated” in Balochistan. "There will be no negotiations with terrorists, those who have taken up arms against Pakistan and those raising slogans for the country’s disintegration.”
His remarks came as attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army, which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US, have increased. Bugti said the time had come for "major surgery” to eliminate terrorism.
"We are in a state of war,” he said, adding that authorities had never claimed everything in Balochistan was normal. "The security forces are performing their duties under extremely difficult conditions in the province and all state institutions are working in complete coordination against terrorism.”
Though Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan is its least populated. Some Balochis have complained about discrimination by the government. There are also deep grievances about enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the exploitation of the abundant natural resources.
Several regional political parties and activists have called in recent years for dialogue with insurgent groups, but BLA and other Baloch groups have not sought talks. No spokesman for the group was immediately available for comment.
Pakistan’s federal government and officials in Balochistan have rejected such calls for dialogue, saying leniency could be considered only for militants who surrender.
Some BLA leaders and their associates have surrendered at ceremonies, where they laid down their weapons and were welcomed by local officials.
In 2025, BLA killed 18 paramilitary security forces in one of the deadly coordinated attacks in Balochistan. - AP
