Nine police personnel were martyred, and five others were abducted after armed assailants attacked their checkpoint in Balochistan’s Ziarat district late on Monday, police said.
Ziarat Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdul Qudoos said the attackers stormed the police post in Mangi area of the district, triggering a gun battle in which nine police personnel were martyred.
The official confirmed that the attackers took five police personnel with them after the assault. He said the bodies of the martyred officers had been shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital.
Meanwhile, in a clearance operation against terrorists after the attack, security forces and police killed 15 terrorists belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said.
He said the terrorists had paid a heavy price for attempting to undermine peace in Balochistan, adding that the security forces and police had foiled their malicious designs.
“There will be no safe haven for terrorists in Balochistan, and every attack will receive a decisive response,” he said, adding that intelligence-based operations against terrorists would continue across the province.
He also vowed that the sacrifices of the police officers and personnel martyred in the Ziarat attack would not go in vain.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack by India-sponsored terrorists and paid tribute to the cops who embraced martyrdom.
The interior minister extended his condolences and sympathies to the families of the martyred policemen and prayed for them to be granted patience and strength.
“Those who sacrificed their lives for peace are the pride of our nation,” Naqvi said, adding that the sacrifices of the martyrs would never be forgotten.
He also said such cowardly attacks could not sabotage peace or weaken the country’s resolve against terrorism.
The attack also triggered widespread protests in Ziarat, where local tribes, transporters and relatives of the martyred police personnel staged demonstrations at Ziarat Cross and other locations.
The protesters blocked key national highways linking Balochistan with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said.
The N-50 highway connecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the N-70 linking Punjab remained closed, leaving hundreds of passenger buses and freight vehicles stranded.
The attack comes amid a renewed wave of terrorism in Pakistan, particularly in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — bordering with Afghanistan.
On May 24, at least 14 people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were martyred and several others injured in a blast near the railway track at Chaman Phatak in Quetta.
On June 25 and 26, security forces killed eight India-backed Fitna al-Hindustan terrorists during separate intelligence-based operations in Balochistan’s Kharan and Mastung districts, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan remaining the worst-affected provinces.
In response, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, targeting terrorist hideouts across the border. The operation reportedly killed scores of Afghan Taliban operatives and allied militants and injured hundreds more.
Border tensions escalated further in October 2025 after the Afghan Taliban and affiliated militants launched what Pakistan described as unprovoked attacks on its border posts.
Despite multiple rounds of talks, Islamabad and Kabul have yet to reach an understanding, with Pakistan maintaining that the Afghan Taliban authorities have failed to take effective action against terrorists groups operating from Afghan territory. –Agencies
