QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has said that the term “angry Baloch” was deliberately coined to justify acts of terrorism, emphasising that anyone who takes up arms and resorts to violence is not a disgruntled citizen but a terrorist.
Addressing participants of the 17th National Workshop Balochistan in Quetta, the Chief Minister said there is no insurgency in Balochistan, only so-called separatist movements driven by anti-state elements whose aim is to harm and divide Pakistan. “The enemy wants to cut Pakistan into pieces like a cake,” he remarked.
Bugti said India’s intelligence agency RAW has played a clear and active role in destabilising the province. “Separatists celebrate India’s support but work to damage Pakistan. The Baloch people are being pushed into a dead end, and this futile conflict will yield nothing,” he added.
The Chief Minister revealed that the first militant camp in Balochistan was established on June 21, 2002, marking the beginning of organized terrorism in the province. He said social media propaganda has widened the gap between the youth and the state, but the government is now reaching out to students and young people at universities and public forums to address their grievances.
Bugti stressed that the war against terrorism is not the responsibility of the military alone but a shared struggle of the entire nation. “For us, Pakistan comes before politics,” he said. “The Balochistan government has owned the fight against terrorism as its moral and constitutional duty, and our stance is firm and unambiguous.”
He announced that Rs 100 million have been allocated to strengthen the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) to enhance its capacity.
The Chief Minister acknowledged the challenges faced by security forces operating in areas where “the line between friend and foe is blurred.” He said it is easier to confront an external enemy, but much harder to deal with those embedded within. “The nation has witnessed recent operations against visible enemies with their own eyes,” he added.
Highlighting governance reforms, Bugti revealed that Assistant Commissioners have been appointed in 24 sub-districts of Balochistan for the first time in 12 years, restoring the writ of the state. He said the notion of “imbalanced development” in Balochistan was deliberately propagated by certain quarters.
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He further stated that the provincial government is taking practical steps to improve governance and implement institutional reforms. Significant progress, he said, has been achieved in health and education sectors, with 3,200 inactive schools and 164 basic health units reactivated across the province.