Only 2–3 Percent Public Support Terrorists, Balochistan Issue Has No Political Solution: CM Sarfraz Bugti

Quetta: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has stated that the issue of Balochistan is not political and can only be addressed through a military solution, asserting that terrorists enjoy the support of no more than 2 to 3 percent of the population.

Speaking on Geo News’ program “Naya Pakistan,” Sarfraz Bugti said that before 2018, the state’s policy was not based on reconciliation, and incidents of terrorism increased due to conciliatory approaches. He emphasized that during times of war, all segments of society must stand with the state. He added that after the Constitution of Pakistan, the National Action Plan (NAP) is the most important document, and both political and military leadership had consensus on its implementation.

The chief minister said that terrorists do not have significant public backing and often use civilians as human shields when carrying out attacks in urban areas. He claimed that around 1,000 terrorists were killed in intelligence-based operations over the past year, adding that the total number of terrorists and their facilitators in Balochistan does not exceed 4,000 to 5,000.

Referring to the terrorist attacks that took place in various parts of Balochistan a day earlier, Sarfraz Bugti said the number of attackers was no more than 200. He revealed that intelligence reports had already indicated possible attacks in Shaban and Panjgur. According to him, the attacks resulted in the martyrdom of 31 civilians and 17 security personnel, while a combing operation is still underway in Noshki.

The Balochistan chief minister urged international media to clearly label terrorists as terrorists. He also criticized the Afghan interim government, saying it had promised the world that its soil would not be used against any country, yet Afghan territory is being used against Pakistan.