The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Pakistani media outlet Dawn has reported that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said “nobody in Pakistan will be allowed to rationalise violence” following recent attacks in Balochistan.
Addressing the National Assembly on Monday, Asif said
attempts to portray violence as a freedom movement were unacceptable and
described such narratives as a cover to legitimise criminal activities.
According to Dawn, the defence minister briefed lawmakers on
the security situation in Balochistan, where large-scale coordinated attacks
took place on Saturday. Pakistan’s military media wing said more than 150
militants were killed in retaliatory operations.
Asif alleged that militant groups operating in Balochistan
were supported by India and claimed that Afghan soil was being used to fuel
terrorism in the province. He further claimed that the leadership of the
militants was based in Afghanistan.
The minister also linked the violence to smuggling networks,
particularly oil smuggling, alleging that criminal groups were earning billions
of rupees daily before government crackdowns disrupted their activities. He
described the situation as a nexus involving criminal elements, segments of the
bureaucracy and tribal leadership.
Asif said 177 militants had been killed in two days of
operations, while 17 security personnel and 33 civilians also lost their lives,
mainly in Gwadar.
Rejecting calls for negotiations, he stated that the
government would not hold talks with what he described as criminal groups and
vowed that the state would respond with full force.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai described
Balochistan as a “blind spot” for Pakistan and stressed that strengthening
parliament was the only way to ensure national unity, Dawn reported.
