Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has stated in clear terms that there will be no negotiations with terrorists and that the state will respond to terrorism with its full strength.
Speaking in the National Assembly, Khawaja Asif said that terrorists have no writ in any part of Balochistan. He added that the state will not allow violence under any circumstances and stressed that despite political differences, the entire nation must unite against terrorism. He termed the narrative of deprivation in Balochistan as baseless and said that killing innocent people and labourers, including those targeted in the Jaffar Express incident, cannot be justified in any way.
The defence minister said that there are multiple factors behind the deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan. He explained that when action was taken against criminal elements and smugglers, they resorted to rebellion. He noted that while negotiations had taken place with Baloch political parties in the past, the 177 individuals killed in recent operations had no political affiliations and were purely criminal elements.
Khawaja Asif said that these criminal elements had formed a network, and under their cover, certain political actors also attempted to benefit. He pointed out that Balochistan makes up around 40 percent of Pakistan’s total area, requiring a large deployment of security forces to maintain stability.
He questioned who was supplying modern weapons to terrorists, stating that they possess American-made arms, with even a single rifle costing millions of rupees. He alleged that India is backing terrorism in Balochistan, with Indian-sponsored proxies operating in the province. He also recalled the arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav from Balochistan and said that terrorist leadership is based in Afghanistan, from where support is provided.
The defence minister further said that terrorist attacks are linked to the disruption of oil smuggling. He claimed that smuggled Iranian oil was being bought at Rs40 per litre and sold in Karachi for Rs200 per litre, generating billions of rupees daily. He said that efforts to stop this smuggling led to attempts to destabilize law and order.
Khawaja Asif said that the BLA protects smugglers and that criminals involved in violence cannot be engaged in dialogue. He urged the nation to stand behind the Pakistan Army, emphasizing that fighting terrorism is a collective national responsibility.
Highlighting development in Balochistan, the defence minister said that while the province has faced security challenges for decades, significant progress has been made. He noted that from having only a few hundred kilometers of roads at the time of independence, Balochistan now has over 26,000 kilometers of roads, more than 15,000 schools, 13 cadet colleges, and 13 major hospitals. He added that Balochistan’s NFC share stands at Rs933 billion and that inactive airports in the province are being made operational.
