Islamabad, Feb 2: More than 120 persons were killed in Pakistan’s Balochistan province following multiple suicide and gun attacks by “terrorists” and a swift response by the country’s security forces, officials said, according to a report by The Guardian.

According to the report, 33 persons, including civilians, were killed in multiple suicide and gun attacks by “terrorists” across the restive south-western province of Balochistan, while Pakistan’s military gunned down 92 “terrorists” while responding to the violence.

Baloch insurgents targeted civilians, a high-security prison, police stations and paramilitary installations during the attacks. Eighteen civilians, 15 security personnel and 92 insurgents were killed, the military said

Analysts described it as the deadliest single day for militants in decades.

The wreckage of a bus in Noshki, Balochistan, after a deadly suicide attack by the Baloch Liberation Army targeting a convoy of Pakistani paramilitary forces

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Though Baloch separatists and the Pakistani Taliban frequently target security forces in Balochistan and elsewhere in the country, coordinated attacks on this scale are rare. Authorities said at least 133 militants have been killed across Balochistan over the past 48 hours, including 92 on Saturday.

The military and Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said the attackers had the backing of India.

There was no immediate response from New Delhi, which has denied such allegations previously. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, claimed responsibility for the suicide and gun attacks, during which some of the banks were robbed and a police station and dozens of vehicles torched.

The BLA released videos showing female fighters taking part in the attacks, apparently part of propaganda efforts to highlight the role of women among the militants.

Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, said most of the attacks were foiled. They came a day after the military said security forces this week raided two militant hideouts in the country’s south-west, killing 41 insurgents in separate gun battles.

The provincial chief minister, Sarfraz Bugti, wrote on X that security forces were chasing the insurgents. He said at least 700 insurgents were killed by security forces in the past year.

Earlier on Saturday, authorities said that insurgents destroyed rail tracks, prompting Pakistan Railways to suspend train services from Balochistan to other parts of the country. Targets were police, prison, paramilitary forces and passengers

The attacks began almost simultaneously across the province, the provincial health minister, Bakht Muhammad Kakar, said. He said two police officers were killed in a grenade attack on a police vehicle in Quetta, the provincial capital. The government declared an emergency at all hospitals.

Dozens of insurgents also attacked a prison in Mastung district, freeing more than 30 inmates, police said. In other attacks, militants attempted to storm the provincial headquarters of paramilitary forces in Nushki district, but the attack was repelled, police said.

Insurgents hurled grenades at the office of a government administrator in Dalbandin district, but a swift response by security forces forced them to flee, according to local authorities.

Attacks on security posts in Balincha, Tump and Kharan districts were thwarted, while in Pasni and Gwadar, insurgents attempted to abduct passengers travelling on buses along highways, police said.

The BLA is banned in Pakistan and designated a terrorist organisation by the US. It has been behind numerous attacks in recent years, and Pakistan says the group enjoys the backing from India, a charge New Delhi denies.

Pakistan has repeatedly said that Baloch separatists, the Pakistani Taliban and other militants are using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul denies the claim.

Abdullah Khan, managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, told the Associated Press that the “terrorists linked to BLA or other groups had never before been killed in such a large number in a single day” in Balochistan.

Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, have intensified attacks in Pakistan in recent months. The TTP is a separate group but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, who returned to power in August 2021.

Balochistan has long been the site of an insurgency by separatist groups seeking independence from Pakistan’s central government in Islamabad.

Yerevan, Feb 02: A high-level Indian defence delegation led by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has arrived in Armenia for a four-day official visit aimed at strengthening defence and security cooperation between the two countries.

The Indian delegation reached Yerevan on Sunday local time, according to a statement issued by the Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters.

The visit is being viewed as a significant step in advancing bilateral military engagement and reinforcing strategic ties.

“The visit marks an important step in taking forward shared strategic interests and enhancing long-term defence and security collaboration between the two Nations,” the Integrated Defence Staff Headquarters said in the statement.

Upon arrival in the Armenian capital, the delegation was received by India’s Ambassador to Armenia, Nilakshi Saha Sinha, along with Deputy Chief of the Armenian Armed Forces, Major General Temur Shahnazaryan.

The warm reception underscored the growing closeness between New Delhi and Yerevan in the defence domain.

The visit comes close on the heels of a major milestone in India-Armenia defence cooperation.

Just two weeks ago, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the first tranche of guided Pinaka rockets destined for Armenia. The systems were manufactured by Pune-based Solar Defence and Aerospace Limited (SDAL).

Armenia had signed a contract worth around Rs 2,000 crore in September 2022 for the acquisition of four Pinaka rocket system batteries.

The deal includes unguided, extended-range and guided variants of the system. Armenia also became the first international customer for the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher, which has been developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The agreement marked a key moment in India’s broader push for Aatmanirbharta in defence manufacturing and its stated ambition to emerge as a significant global defence exporter.

Deliveries of the initial Pinaka unguided rocket systems began in July 2023 and were completed by late 2024, paving the way for subsequent consignments of advanced variants.

Speaking earlier on the exports, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the shipment of Pinaka missiles reflected the growing strength and maturity of India’s defence industry.

He said the development demonstrated India’s expanding export potential, adding that the country was no longer only an importer of defence equipment but was steadily moving towards becoming a major exporter on the global stage.