RAWALPINDI/LAHORE: Security forces killed twelve terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the Kalat district of Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in an official statement issued on Friday, describing those killed as members of Fitna al-Hindustan, the term the Pakistani state uses for militant outfits it says are sponsored by India.
According to the ISPR statement, the operation was launched on Wednesday, September 2, after reports of the presence of terrorists belonging to the group in the district. Troops first identified the hideout, kept it under observation, and then moved in.
“During the conduct of operation, terrorists hideout was identified, monitored and busted through prompt surgical action by own forces,” the military’s media wing said, adding that all twelve Indian-sponsored terrorists were killed in the action. A cache of ammunition and improvised explosive devices recovered at the location was destroyed on-site.
The statement said sanitisation operations were under way to clear the surrounding area of any remaining militants — a standard follow-up phase in which troops sweep adjoining compounds, tracks and high ground for stragglers, weapons dumps and planted explosives.
Kalat sits in central Balochistan along the arterial N-25 highway linking Quetta to Karachi, a corridor that carries a significant share of the province’s freight and passenger traffic. The district’s broken terrain, thin population density and proximity to Mastung, Surab and Khuzdar have historically made it a transit belt rather than a destination for militant movement, which is why hideouts there tend to be small, dispersed and dependent on intelligence rather than sweeps to locate.
That geography explains the operational language in Friday’s statement. Intelligence-based operations of this kind rely on prior human and technical reporting to fix a location before troops commit, in contrast to broader clearance campaigns.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the security forces for the operation in separate statements issued after the ISPR announcement.
In his statement, the President said the menace of terrorism would be defeated at all costs, adding that continued operations by the security forces and law enforcement agencies to completely eliminate foreign-backed terrorism were commendable.
The Prime Minister said in his statement that security forces were carrying out effective operations against terrorists seeking to undermine peace in the homeland. He said the entire nation stood shoulder to shoulder with the armed forces in their unwavering commitment to protecting the country, and that the fight would continue until the menace was completely eliminated.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed appreciation for the security forces on Friday for successfully carrying out the operation, according to an official statement issued from her office in Lahore.
The Chief Minister paid tribute to the security forces over the killing of the twelve Fitna al-Hindustan militants, commending their efforts against terrorism. The statement follows a similar message from her office earlier this week over operations in Chagai and Pishin districts, reflecting a pattern of provincial endorsement of federal counter-terrorism actions.
Friday’s announcement lands in a month of heavy operational tempo in Balochistan. Earlier this week, security sources reported that two militants linked to the same network were killed in the Palantak area of Washuk district. Separately, the ISPR reported twenty-one militants killed in actions at Nok Kachah in Chagai and Ziarat Cross in Pishin.
The wider toll has been documented independently. A Centre for Research and Security Studies assessment for the second quarter of 2026 found that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan together accounted for close to 96 per cent of violence-linked deaths nationwide, with Balochistan recording 265 deaths across 94 incidents in that period.
The federal government last year formally designated militant groups operating in the province as Fitna al-Hindustan, accusing India of running a proxy campaign through them. New Delhi has consistently rejected allegations that it sponsors militancy inside Pakistan.
The ISPR said the counter-terrorism campaign under the vision of “Azm-e-Istehkam”, as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, would continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.
For residents along the Quetta–Karachi corridor, the immediate practical consequence is likely to be tighter movement controls and checkpoint activity while sanitisation continues. The longer test, as with previous actions in the district, will be whether intelligence-led strikes translate into a durable reduction in attacks on highways, police posts and labourers — the targets that have absorbed much of the province’s violence over the past year.
This report is based on the official ISPR press release, statements issued by the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of Punjab, and cross-referenced reporting from national news organisations. Casualty figures and operational details are as stated by the military’s media wing and have not been independently verified by The Lahore Times. Corrections may be requested at editor@lhrtimes.com.
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