Pakistan Claims Killing 33 ‘India-Supported’ Separatists in Balochistan

Melbourne, August 10—Pakistan’s military has claimed it killed 33 ‘India-supported’ separatists while trying to infiltrate the country through the Afghanistan border into Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

According to a report by Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera, the Pakistan Army said in a statement on Friday that during an overnight operation in the Zhob district of Balochistan, they identified and neutralized the militants attempting to cross the border. The Pakistani government refers to these fighters as “Khareji”, a term typically used for militants associated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group.

The military further stated that weapons, ammunition, and explosives were seized during the operation.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif praised the security forces for their “successful” mission, saying, “Our brave soldiers risked their lives to thwart this infiltration attempt and eliminate the terrorists.”

Pakistan often accuses the Afghan Taliban government of failing to take action against militants operating in border areas, though Kabul denies these allegations.

Additionally, Pakistan’s military regularly labels these infiltrators as India-supported, but Islamabad has never provided concrete evidence to support these claims.

New Delhi consistently denies these accusations and counters by alleging that Pakistan is the one supporting separatist militants in India.

The two nuclear-armed neighbors have long been engaged in border tensions.

In April this year, a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, killed 26 civilians, escalating tensions further between the two countries.

The Pahalgam attack has been a significant factor in the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan.