Army Major Killed, Four Militants Die in Balochistan Operations
Pakistan's military says a bomb attack in Gwadar killed an officer as security forces intensify counterterrorism raids across the province
By AXY War & Crime Desk ·
Key points
- An army major, Wajahat Waheed, was killed by an IED in the Shadi Kaur area of Pasni, Gwadar, the military said on Monday.
- Four militants were killed in an October 18 operation in Jattakabad, Kalat district, where a large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered.
- Militant attacks in Balochistan rose from 83 in July to 89 in August, according to PICSS data.
- The military's statement frames the militants as Fitna al Hindustan and blames India, a claim that India has not responded to in the source material.
Pakistan's military said on Monday that an army major was killed and four militants died in intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Balochistan, the country's largest province by area. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said Major Wajahat Waheed, 34, a Lahore resident who was leading an operation in the Shadi Kaur area of Pasni, in Gwadar district, was martyred in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack. ISPR uses 'martyred' for soldiers killed in action.
In a separate operation on October 18, security forces raided the general area of Jattakabad in Kalat district, where four terrorists were eliminated, according to the statement. ISPR said a large cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered. The military described its operations as acting on intelligence about multiple hideouts belonging to groups it calls Fitna al Hindustan.
What the military said happened
The ISPR statement described two linked sets of operations. In the first, security forces conducted an IBO in Jattakabad, which is in Kalat district in central Balochistan. In the second, forces ran a series of clearance operations in Shadi Kaur, near Pasni on the Makran coast of Gwadar district. It was during these clearance operations that Major Waheed was killed by an IED. An IED is a homemade bomb, often hidden in roads, buildings or on the ground, and is a common weapon used by armed groups in Balochistan and neighbouring areas.
The military said sanitisation operations, which are sweeps to clear an area of remaining fighters or explosives, would continue to eliminate any other terrorists in the area. ISPR said the counterterrorism campaign under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam, a national counterterrorism framework approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace. The National Action Plan is Pakistan's security strategy, adopted in 2014 after the Peshawar school attack, that set out measures against militancy.
ISPR also said security forces and law enforcement agencies remained committed to eliminating what it described as foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country. The statement did not give a casualty figure for the sweeps beyond the four militants killed in Jattakabad and the officer killed in Gwadar, and it did not say how many militants were believed to remain in the area.
Why Balochistan has become a security focus
Balochistan borders Afghanistan and Iran and is rich in minerals and natural gas. It is also home to the strategically important Gwadar port, which is central to China's investment in Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship infrastructure programme. Pakistan's government has long said that projects like Gwadar are targets for armed groups opposed to the state, a claim that gives the security situation in the province national and economic weight beyond its sparse population.
Baloch separatist insurgents have fought the Pakistani state for decades, citing grievances over political autonomy, the distribution of resources and the disappearance of activists, among other issues. Pakistan's government rejects the insurgents' political demands and treats their attacks as terrorism. Violence in the province has persisted in recent years, and security forces have responded with frequent operations.
The source material points to rising activity. The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a research body that tracks militant violence, reported that terrorist attacks in the province rose by seven per cent, from 83 in July to 89 in August. According to the same report, Balochistan was declared the province most affected by terrorism. Analysts who track militancy generally caution that monthly attack counts reflect reported incidents and can shift with changes in reporting, but the figures indicate that the province remains a central front in Pakistan's internal security problems.
The 'Fitna al Hindustan' label and India's role
The ISPR statement uses the term Fitna al Hindustan, which the state applies to Balochistan-based militant groups. According to the military, the label is meant to highlight what it sees as India's role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. The military also described a related group of militants as India-sponsored in an earlier operation, language that places the blame for the violence on a foreign government.
Pakistan has repeatedly made such accusations against India, and New Delhi has in the past rejected claims that it backs militant groups in Pakistan. The source material does not include a response from India to the latest statement. Readers should note that the allegation of foreign sponsorship is Pakistan's official position as presented by ISPR and is not independently established by this report.
The label matters because it frames counterterrorism operations as part of a broader contest with a neighbouring country, and it shapes how the state presents successes and losses. For residents of Balochistan, the framing can affect how security operations are understood, including whether communities see them as protection or as a source of pressure.
Arrests and a wider counterterrorism push
The source material also points to a wider campaign. Days before the latest announcement, Balochistan government officials said that six terrorists affiliated with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), two would-be female suicide bombers and two commanders of a banned organisation had been arrested during IBOs across the province. Officials said around 90 arrested militants were being held at a centre where investigations and legal proceedings were under way.
Earlier in the month, the military said eight militants described as India-sponsored were killed in IBOs in the Quetta, Nushki and Khuzdar districts, a day before the latest operations. In a separate incident on the night of October 12 and 13, security forces busted a militant hideout in Washuk and killed five terrorists, ISPR said. State media also reported earlier this month that five militants were eliminated in Mastung district.
Taken together, these reports show a pattern of frequent operations across several districts in the province, from the Afghan border region to the coast. The sequence also shows that the military and provincial government are pursuing both lethal operations and detentions, with the arrests bringing questions of investigation and prosecution into the picture.
What to watch next
Several questions remain open. The first is whether the sanitisation operations in Gwadar will produce further clashes, which is what the military has said will continue. The second is how the security forces will respond to the IED attack, including whether there will be changes to patrol or convoy procedures in the area. The third is whether the provincial government will publish details of the legal proceedings for the detained militants.
Analysts who follow Balochistan generally expect that high-profile losses among security personnel can lead to a short-term increase in operations, but they also warn that sustained security gains depend on political and development measures alongside military action. The PICSS figures for the coming months will show whether the rise in attacks recorded between July and August continues.
For residents of Gwadar, Kalat and nearby districts, the immediate concerns are safety on roads and in towns where operations are under way, and the movement of people and goods through a region that hosts major infrastructure projects. Any further official statements from ISPR, or independent reporting from the area, will be important in confirming the casualty figures and the scope of the sweeps.
Questions and answers
Who was the army major killed in Balochistan?
According to ISPR, Major Wajahat Waheed, 34, a Lahore resident, was martyred in an improvised explosive device attack while leading clearance operations in the Shadi Kaur area of Pasni, in Gwadar district.
How many militants were killed in the Balochistan operations?
ISPR said four terrorists were eliminated in an IBO in the Jattakabad area of Kalat district on October 18, and a large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered.
Why is Balochistan a focus of security operations?
The source material says militant activity has increased in recent years, and PICSS reported attacks rose from 83 in July to 89 in August, with Balochistan declared the province most affected by terrorism.
What happens next in the Gwadar area?
ISPR said sanitisation operations will continue to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, and the counterterrorism campaign will continue at full pace.
Topics: Balochistan, Pakistan Army, ISPR, Gwadar, Kalat district, Counterterrorism operations, Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies
Sources: Dawn
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