RAWALPINDI – Pakistan’s security forces crushed major terror assault in Balochistan’s Kharan district, eliminating 12 militants and preventing what could have turned into a deadly hostage crisis, the military’s media wing said.
Amid scale of ongoing security challenge in restive province, around 20 Indian-sponsored militants belonging to Fitna Al Hindustan launched coordinated attacks across Kharan city on January 15. The group targeted high-profile locations, storming the city police station and attacking branches of the National Bank of Pakistan and Habib Bank Limited, making off with Rs3.4 million in cash.
ISPR said security forces reacted swiftly, engaging the attackers and forcing them into retreat. As troops moved in for clearance operations, fierce encounters erupted at three separate locations, leaving 12 militants dead. The military said the attackers’ plan to seize hostages at the police station was “effectively thwarted,” averting a potentially catastrophic situation.
Search and sanitisation operations are still underway in and around Kharan to track down any remaining militants and ensure the area is fully secured.
The military said Pakistan’s counterterrorism drive under the “Azm-e-Istehkam” framework, approved by the Federal Apex Committee as part of the National Action Plan, would continue at full force to eliminate what it described as foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.
The dramatic operation comes amid a worrying surge in militant violence nationwide. Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp escalation in attacks during 2025. A report by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies revealed that terrorist incidents jumped by 34 per cent last year, while terrorism-related fatalities rose by 21 per cent compared to the previous year.
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