Pakistan Army eliminates 5 terrorists in response to Balochistan attacks

Pakistan’s military has launched intelligence-based operations in Balochistan in response to attacks by terrorists that killed over 50 people this week, the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Friday.

In a statement, the ISPR said five insurgents were killed and three others wounded in the three operations it had launched in the province.

“Operations will continue until all perpetrators, facilitators and abetters of these atrocious acts are brought to justice,” the statement said.

 The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) earlier this week hit several civil and military targets in a coordinated string of attacks. The army said it retaliated, killing 21 militants.

Balochistan attacks a ‘conspiracy’ against SCO summit

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday said terrorist attacks in Balochistan were aimed at sabotaging the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad.

Addressing the Senate today, Naqvi said: “We have identified clear links showing that they [terrorists] planned to ruin the SCO conference.

“A lot of people are in anguish [about SCO meeting] so that it should not be organised,” he said, adding that the attacks were a conspiracy against the summit.

Pakistan is set to host the SCO heads of government meeting on October 15 -16. The event will be preceded by a ministerial meeting and several rounds of senior officials’ meetings focused on financial, economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian cooperation among the SCO member states.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Balochistan said on Thursday Islamabad had extended an invite to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the meeting.