ISLAMABAD (MNN); Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday declared that the state’s clear and final stance was that no one in Pakistan would be allowed to justify or rationalise violence under the guise of a freedom movement.
Addressing the National Assembly while briefing members on the security situation in Balochistan, Khawaja Asif said attempts to portray terrorism as a nationalistic or human rights struggle were false and aimed only at legitimising criminal activities.
Referring to the recent large-scale coordinated terrorist attack in Balochistan, the defence minister said security forces had responded forcefully, killing more than 150 terrorists. He added that peace in the province had been disrupted multiple times over the decades, although there had also been long periods of stability and development.
Khawaja Asif noted that in the early decades after independence, unrest in Balochistan carried a political tone and was linked to certain grievances. However, he said the so-called political movement had later been hijacked by criminal networks, particularly smugglers, causing massive financial losses to the country.
He alleged that India-backed elements were operating as proxies in Balochistan and that Afghan soil was being used to support terrorist leadership. He further claimed that oil and other goods meant for transit trade were being smuggled back into Pakistan and sold locally, generating billions of rupees daily before government action curbed the practice.
The defence minister said negotiations could not be held with these groups, as they no longer had any political or nationalistic identity and had transformed into organised criminal gangs. He added that Balochistan’s vast geography posed serious security challenges, requiring large-scale deployment of forces.
Sharing casualty figures, Khawaja Asif said 177 terrorists had been killed, 17 security personnel martyred, and 33 civilians lost their lives in just two days, mostly in Gwadar. He rejected the narrative of deprivation and missing persons, claiming it had been manipulated by terrorists and criminal elements.
He warned that extremist groups were poisoning an entire generation but assured the House that no area in Balochistan was under terrorist control. The minister reiterated that no talks would be held with those using brutal violence and that the state would respond with full force.
Calling for national unity, Khawaja Asif urged parliamentarians and the public to stand firmly with security forces, stressing that speeches and resolutions alone were not enough and that collective action was needed to defeat terrorism.
