- Seven security personnel martyred in IED blast.
- Perpetrators of “heinous act” will be brought to justice: ISPR.
- “India’s nefarious designs and its proxies will be defeated.”
At least seven security personnel were martyred in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Balochistan’s Mach district on Tuesday, according to the military’s media wing.
A press release from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Baloch Liberation Army targeted security forces’ vehicle with IED in general area Mach of Kachhi District.
The ISPR said 42-year-old Subedar Umar Farooq from Karachi, 28-year-old Naik Asif Khan from Karak, 28-year-old Naik Mashkoor Ali from Orakzai, 26-year-old Sepoy Tariq Nawaz from Lakki Marwat, 28-year-old Sepoy Wajid Ahmed Faiz from Bagh, 22-year-old Sepoy Muhammad Asim from Karak and 28-year-old Sepoy Muhammad Kashif Khan from Kohat “made the ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom”.
It added that sanitisation of the area was being carried out to eliminate any terrorists present in the area. The ISPR said the perpetrators of the “heinous act” would be brought to justice.
“Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts at sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan, and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve,” it added.
The ISPR concluded by saying that nefarious designs of India and its proxies operating on Pakistani soil would be defeated by the valiant security forces, law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and the brave nation of Pakistan.
The attack came amid standoff with India following attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam area, which claimed lives of 26 people.
New Delhi linked Islamabad to the attack without offering any evidence and took a flurry of punitive measures to downgrade ties, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, revoking visas of Pakistanis, and closing Wagah-Attari border crossing, among others.
Islamabad, in response, ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals, with the exception of Sikh pilgrims, and closing the main border crossing from its side.
Pakistan also denies involvement in the attack and offered to take part in a credible and transparent investigation.
A day earlier, The News quoting intelligence sources reported that India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has activated its proxies in Balochistan to fuel violence and terrorism.
Following the failure of a previous false flag operation in Pahalgam, RAW is allegedly using groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Fitna-ul-Khawarij, as well as illegal Afghan nationals, to carry out attacks in Gwadar, Quetta, and Khuzdar.
Intelligence sources claim that some suicide bombers have been provided with reconnaissance of targeted installations, often using cars or motorcycles in their attacks.
