Balochistan issue has only military solution, says CM Bugti

QUETTA
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said the province’s problem was not political and could only be addressed through a military response, confirming that at least 31 civilians and 17 security personnel embraced martyrdom during the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) attacks across the province.
Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, the provincial chief executive rejected claims that large numbers of militants had taken part in recent coordinated attacks, saying the actual strength of attackers was far smaller than what was being circulated.
“The figures of 1,000 to 2,000 being quoted are completely incorrect. Their maximum number was not more than 200 to 250, and most of them have either been chased out or killed,” he said.
He stressed that militant groups deliberately use civilians as human shields during attacks in urban areas. Responding to a question about the overall strength of militant networks in the province, Bugti said the total number of terrorists, their sympathisers and facilitators was estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000.
Commenting on the growing trend of militancy since 2021, the chief minister linked the resurgence of organised militant activity to what he termed a policy of appeasement adopted after 2018.
“Before 2018, the state and government policy was not one of appeasement. When there was no appeasement, they were on the run.
We had FC [Frontier Corps] checkpoints on highways and a visible presence,” Bugti said. He added that a change in policy following the formation of a new government in 2018 allowed militants to regroup. “When a new policy came, we started appeasing them.
Because of this, by 2021, they became organised. In 2023 and 2024, they became even more organised and stronger,” he said, adding that after his government assumed office in 2024, the policy was reviewed.
“We asked ourselves what we were doing and why we were giving them a free run,” he said. Bugti also addressed reports circulating on social media about senior terrorist commander Bashir Zeb, saying that although the footage could not be independently verified, official assessments strongly indicated that he was in Afghanistan.
“It cannot be confirmed 100%, but according to 99.99% of the information available to the government, he is in Afghanistan,” the chief minister said.