Nearly 150 militants killed in Balochistan, internet cut - What's happening in Pakistan? 10 points

PAKISTANI security forces have killed nearly 150 militants in less than two days across its troubled southwestern province of Balochistan, with the country grappling with one of its most serious episodes of violence in the region.

"We have managed to kill 145 terrorists in 40 hours," Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan, said on Sunday, as per Bloomberg.

The chief minister added that in the violence, 31 civilizations and 17 security personnel also lost their lives.

Pakistan, since last year, has seen increasing insurgent activity, with deaths from insurgent attacks rising to 3,967 nationwide, the highest since 2015, as per data by the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

The unrest has been particularly pronounced in the southwestern, mineral-rich province of Balochistan, bordering Afghanistan, where Baloch nationalist groups have long sought greater autonomy and demanded a greater share of the region's resources.

As the situation develops, here are 10 points:

1. As per the Pakistani military, the violence over the weekend broke out after attackers, dressed as ordinary civilians, entered schools, hospitals, banks, and markets and opened fire. Commenting on the same, Pakistan's Junior Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said, "In each case, the attackers came in dressed as civilians and indiscriminately targeted ordinary people working in shops."

2. The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks, which it said were a coordinated operation against security forces dubbed Herof or ‘black storm’.

3. According to officials, attacks were launched almost simultaneously across multiple districts, including Quetta, Gwadar, Matsung, and Noshki.

4. Not only did armed militants open fire at security installations, they also attempted suicide bombings, as per the Pakistani military. Of the 145 militants killed thus far, 92 were killed on Saturday, while another 41 were killed on Friday.

5. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, as per Reuters, also claimed that at least two of the attacks involved female perpetrators, adding that BLA militants were increasingly targeting civilians, labourers, and members of low-income communities.

6. Pakistan's military reportedly had intelligence reports of the coordinated BLA attacks—"We had intelligence reports that this kind of operation was being planned, and as a result of those, we started pre-operations a day before," Chief Minister Bugti was quoted as saying by Reuters.

7. Although Pakistan's military claims 17 law enforcement officials were killed over the weekend, the BLA claimed that it had killed as many as 84 members of Pakistan's security forces and captured another 18.

8. Pakistan also claimed that the militants responsible for the attacks over the weekend were "Indian-sponsored", but India denied the allegations, accusing Islamabad of deflecting attention from its own internal problems. We categorically reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, adding that Islamabad should instead address "long-standing demands of its people in the region".

9. The attacks, meanwhile, were condemned by Washington, with US Charge d'Affaires Natalie Baker calling them acts of terrorist violence and saying it stood in solidarity with Pakistan.

10. As it stands, mobile internet services across Balochistan have been suspended, and road traffic as well as train services remain disrupted, with the Pakistani military carrying out "sanitisation operations".