Balochistan: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2014

At least three people were killed and 30 others were injured in a suicide attack targeting Shia pilgrims in the Akhtarabad area of provincial capital Quetta (Quetta District) on January 1, reports Dawn. Police said a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the bus carrying Shia pilgrims who were coming from Iran to Quetta. Syed Ahmed Mobeen, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Police said, "We have found the legs of suicide bomber from the spot". Read less...

Inspector General Frontier Corps (IGFC) Balochistan Major General Mohammad Ejaz Shahid said on January 3 that 60 to 70 Farari camps, or insurgent camps, were operating in the province, reports The Express Tribune. However, he added that it was difficult to crack down on these camps because they keep changing location according to the weather. Read less...

Four persons, including a top politician were injured in bomb attacks in Quetta (Quetta District), the provincial capital of Balochistan on January 4, reports The Times of India. Majid Abro, the advisor to the Balochistan Chief Minister, was among four persons injured. Read less...

Quetta Police Chief Abdul Razaq Cheema on January 4 claimed that Police has arrested four United Baloch Army (UBA) militants and seized a huge cache of bomb-making material from their possession in Bakra Mandi area of Quetta, reports The Express Tribune. Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Cheema said that subversive acts, including bomb and grenade attacks, were taking place in Quetta for a long time under the supervision of UBA chief Abdul Nabi Bangulzai who had used young boys to carry out explosions. CCPO Cheema said Bangulzai’s accomplices were planning a big attack when Police raided their hideout and arrested four accused, identified as Asghar Ali, Ejaz Ahmed, Wafa Waheed Ahmed and Zahoor. Cheema said that the accused have confessed of carrying out 15 terrorists acts in 2012-13 in which 12 persons were killed and dozens others were injured. Read less...

Two persons were killed and nine others were injured in a blast in Bakhtiarabad area of Sibi town of same District on January 4 reports the Times of India. The bomb was attached to a motorcycle and detonated by remote control. Read less...

Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) recovered three bodies from Killi Maryam in Qamarud Din Karez area of Zhob District on January 5, reports The News. Local Levies sources said that the bodies were recovered on information provided by local people. However, the identity of bodies could not be ascertained. Read less...

A Policeman was injured when armed assailants hurled a hand grenade at Satellite Town Police Station in Quetta on January 6, reports Dawn. Read less...

Terming reports about presence of Afghan Taliban as baseless and far from reality, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti on January 6 said that there is no Taliban Shura in Quetta, reports Dawn. “No sign of Afghan Taliban factor in the province,” he said, adding that foreign hands were involved in the prevailing unrest in Balochistan, Pakistan's least developed and area wise the biggest province. Read less...

A Frontier Corps (FC) official and a Policeman were killed while one FC sustained injuries during an exchange of fire in Chatkan Bazaar of Panjgur District on January 7, reported The News. A handout issued by the FC said that the FC had received information about presence of a militants involved in attacking Security Forces in Chatkan Bazaar. “An FC patrolling team reached the site to arrest the suspect who ran into a street adjacent to the bazaar. The FC team chased the suspect, and during that time, two persons riding a motorcycle tried to halt FC personnel in order to provide a chance to the accused to escape. The two persons opened fire on FC team injuring one FC personnel, Muhammad Akhtar, seriously,” said a spokesman for the FC. Read less...

The United States (US) Department of State on January 7 declared Qari Saifullah, a Quetta-based Taliban ‘commander’, a specially designated global terrorist, reports Dawn. Qari Saifullah is the Taliban’s shadow ‘deputy governor’ and an operational ‘commander’ in Zabul province of Afghanistan, but the designation identifies him as a resident of Quetta. The State Department reported that as an operational commander, Qari Saifullah has used Taliban fighters to organise terrorist activities against the Government of Afghanistan and coalition forces in eastern Zabul province. Qari Saifullah has also directly ordered his subordinates to conduct Improvised Explosive Device attacks, small arms fire attacks, and rocket attacks in Zabul province against the Government of Afghanistan. The designation includes a prohibition against US persons engaging in transactions with Qari Saifullah, and the freezing of all property and interests of Qari Saifullah in the US or come within the US or the possession or control of US persons. Read less...

A source in Balochistan Home and Tribal Affairs Department said on January 8 that the Commission on enforced disappearances has received 209 cases of missing Baloch political workers from Balochistan, reported Dawn. He said that 61 missing persons have been recovered and 24 mutilated dead bodies found in different parts of Balochistan up till now. He said 44 cases of missing persons were disposed off following lack of required documents. Apart from this, 144 cases of missing persons were under trial before Supreme Court of Pakistan. “The Chief Minister has strictly directed the concerned quarters to expedite the cases of missing persons,” the official said. He said that all deputy commissioners were instructed to inform the Home Department about the missing persons' cases on priority basis. “Without the recovery of missing persons, situation in the province cannot be improved,” said the Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch. Read less...

Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) chairman Nasrullah Baloch said that the officials were deliberately showing less number of missing persons. He claimed that so far his organisation has received 2,781 cases of missing persons from different parts of Balochistan. The officials, however, contradicted the VBMP claims and said that the number of missing persons was less. Read less...

Abductors on January 10 released the eight coalminers abducted from Harnai District on December 25, 2013, reports Dawn. Sajjad Gul Kakar, a levies official, said that the kidnappers left the coal miners in nearby mountains and sped away in their vehicles. "Miners are back and they are safe," Kakar said. He, however, declined to comment on the ransom amount paid to the kidnappers for release of the coal miners. Read less...

Two passengers were killed when unidentified armed assailants opened fire at a passenger van in the Dukki tehsil (revenue unit) of Loralai District on January 10, reports Dawn. No outfit claimed of responsibility for the attack. Read less...

Unidentified militants blew up a gas pipeline in Dera Murad Jamali area of Naseerabad District suspending gas supply to many districts on January 10, reported The News. Read less...

A tortured and bullet-riddled dead body of a boy (10) was found on January 12 in Turbat District, reports The Express Tribune. According to sources, the victim’s elder brother is a campaigner for the Baloch separatist movement. A Baloch Student Organisation-Azad (BSO-A) spokesperson accused Security Agencies of being behind the incident. However, Security Agencies denied charges of their involvement in any illegal detention or dumping of bodies. Read less...

Armed militants snatched weapons from levies personnel in Panjgur District on January 12, reports Dawn. A levies official, on condition of anonymity, said that more than two dozen armed militants stormed a check post and snatched weapons from levies men. "I have no information about the exact number of levies men," he said, adding that the levies men did not resist the attackers. The militants managed to escape after the attack and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Read less...

Police and Anti Terrorist Force (ATF) conducted a raid at the private jail of Jama’at-Ulema Islam-Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F) member and former Provincial Minister Education and Member of Balochistan Assembly, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran on January 12 and rescued seven abducted people, including two women and three children in Barkhan District, reports Dawn. Police also arrested six suspects and recovered arms and ammunition from their possession. Khetran surrendered to Police in the aftermath of the registration of the kidnapping case against him in Barkhan Police Station. Read less...

Unidentified militants opened fire in Dashti Bazaar area of Turbat District and killed two people on January 12, reported Dawn. Imam Bakhsh, a police officer said, "Both victims were dead on the spot". Read less...

A large quantity of anti-Pakistan literature as well as maps of a separate Balochistan were recovered during a raid of Attashad Degree College in Turbat District on January 13, reported The Express Tribune. A Baloch student had reportedly taken over a hostel in the college and a Frontier Corps (FC) spokesperson claimed he was brainwashing students to conduct acts of terrorism in the country. The recovered material included separatist leaflets, banners and posters. The books include Nehru and Gandhi’s biographies as well as books about Baloch separation. The books were printed in Karachi and neighbouring countries. The FC had conducted the raid after receiving a tip about the operation. No arrests were made and the student in question fled before the FC arrived. Read less...

The Balochistan Government has approached all political forces in the province for an all parties’ conference (APC) which is likely to be held at the end of January in Quetta, a provincial Government spokesperson said on January 15, reports The Express Tribune. The APC was scheduled to be held in December, 2013 but could not take place due to the local Government elections in the province. The conference is being held to seek suggestions from all political forces on how to restore peace in the volatile region. Besides insurgency and sectarian violence, the issues of kidnapping for ransom will also be discussed in the APC. Read less...

Three suspected militants were killed while five others arrested by the Security Forces (SFs) during a search operation in Zaidi area of Khuzdar District in Balochistan on January 15, reports The News. Deputy Commissioner Syed Abdul Waheed Shah said that the security forces and Levies force had been conducting a joint search operation in Zaidi area when armed men opened fire on them. The SFs returned the fire, killing three suspects. They also arrested five suspects. Two security men also sustained injuries. One abducted person and heavy weapons including ammunitions were also recovered from the possession of the suspects. Read less...

Two people, including the driver and cleaner of a NATO container carrying equipment for troops in Afghanistan, were injured when unidentified militants opened fire at the NATO container in the Choto area of Mastung District on January 18, reports Dawn. No outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack. Read less...

Unidentified militants blew up a 16-inch diameter gas pipeline in Pirkoh area of Dera Bugti District on January 20, reported Dawn. . Read less...

At least 24 Shia pilgrims returning from Iran were killed and 40 others were injured in a bomb attack targeting their bus in the Khusak area of Kanak in Mastung District on January 21, reported Daily Times. Local Government official Shafqat Shahwani said that 51 passengers had been on board at the time of the blast and that nine passengers were still unaccounted for. Provincial Home Secretary Asad Gilani said that two buses with 103 pilgrims had been travelling together with security vehicles provided by the Government and that the bomb struck one of the buses. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) claimed the responsibility for the attack. Read less...

Three abductors were killed while three people, including a Police Official, one Anti Terrorist Force (ATF) official and one passerby, were injured in an operation near Sariab Road in Quetta on January 21, reports The Express Tribune. Capital City Police Official (CCPO) Abdul Razzak Cheema said, “We don’t know who the kidnappers are as yet, investigation is still ongoing on.” Read less...

A militant and a Levies official were killed during an operation launched by Security Forces (SFs), including Police, Levies and Frontier Corps in Darin Garh area. Read less...

Armed militants on January 22 torched one NATO container carrying equipment in the Western Bypass area of Quetta, reports Dawn. A police official who requested anonymity said that the militants opened fire at the NATO container which was on its way from Kandahar in Afghanistan to Port Qasim in Karachi (Sindh). However, the driver and cleaner managed to escape unhurt. Read less...

At least eight persons, including seven Levies personnel and one militant were killed, while ten others, including a Spanish tourist, were injured when a militant kidnapping bid was foiled in Darin Garh area of Koshak in Mastung District on January 22, reports Dawn. Asad-ur-Rehman Gailani, the Home Secretary Balochistan said, "Militants wanted to kidnap the Spanish tourist". The militant killed was later identified as Uzbek national. Read less...

Unidentified militants opened fire at an anti-polio team in Bukhari Muhalla area of Sibi District on January 22, reported Dawn. However, no casualties were reported. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either of the attacks. Read less...

At least six people were injured when a bomb targeting the van of Frontier Corps (FC) exploded near a petrol pump on Sariab Road in Quetta, provincial capital of Balochistan on January 24, reported The News. According to the sources, the Security Forces (SFs) vehicle remained undamaged while glasses of nearby shops smashed as a result of the blast. An operation has been launched against militants. The decision to start the operation was taken in a high-level meeting held on the night of January 23, 2014. Read less...

Officials on January 24 said that Pakistan suspended buses carrying Shia Muslim pilgrims from travelling through Balochistan Province to neighbouring Iran due to security concerns, reports Dawn. “We have temporarily suspended the movement of buses on the highway until the security situation improves,” a senior official of the Provincial Government said. Read less...

SFs detained at least 25 suspects during a full scale operation in Kanak and Derringer areas of Mastung District on January 24, reported Dawn. The operation was by SFs, which included personnel from the FC, Police, the Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF), Levies and recruits from Balochistan Constabulary. Read less...

Four militants were killed and seven others arrested by the Balochistan Frontier Corps (FC) during a search operation in Shabood area of Panjgur District on January 25, reports Daily Times. A huge cache of weapons, abducted children and weapons were also recovered from the custody of militants. Read less...

A gas pipeline was blown up in Dera Bugti District on January 26 disrupting the gas-supply to the Sui plant from well number 15 in Pir Koh gas field, reports Dawn. A Levies official said that unidentified miscreants had planted an explosive device on the 16 inch-diameter pipeline in Pir Koh gas field. Read less...

Around 25 dead bodies were found buried in the Totak area of Khuzdar District in Balochistan on January 26, reports The News. Digging is under way to locate more bodies, according to Deputy Commissioner Abdul Waheed Shah. He said that the bodies were dumped in different areas. The identity of the victims could not be determined yet. Only the bones of the bodies were recovered. The government planned to conduct DNA tests on them. After the recovery of the bodies, there is a great concern among relatives of the missing persons. Read less...

Two bullet-riddled bodies of two men were found in Basima area of Washuk District on January 26, reports Dawn. Bodies were shifted to the hospital for autopsy and identification,” Levies officials said, adding that the victims were 25 to 30 years old. Read less...

Geo News on January 30 received a video of January 22, 2014 attack on Levies force, escorting Spanish cyclist in Darin Garh area of Mastung District, reports The News. The video shows Levies personnel engaged in firing with militants. It also shows occurring of the blast during the attack. Read less...

Militants blew up two gas pipelines in the Pir Koh area and near the Loti gas field in Dera Bugti District on January 29, suspending gas supply from well no 41 and 3 respectively, reported The Express Tribune. Baloch Republican Army (BRA) claimed responsibilities for the attacks. Read less...

The Balochistan High Court (BHC) gave an order allowing Jamhoori Watan Party’s (JWPs) provincial chief Shahzain Bugti to go to Dera Bugti, reported The Express Tribune. “The Government of Dr Abdul Malik Baloch had ordered law-enforcement agencies to provide foolproof security to the convoy and allow it to enter Dera Bugti safely,” a senior official said. Read less...

A person was killed and 12 others were injured when a bomb explosion occurred destroying a pickup truck at a petrol pump in Naseerabad District on January 30, reports Dawn. “A pickup was waiting in a queue for its turn to fill petrol at a pump when suddenly a bomb exploded in it,” local Police Official Jan Muhammad said. Read less...

Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif on January 30 urged the civil and military leadership to devise a joint strategy to ensure durable peace in Balochistan, reports Daily Times. During his visit to Corps Headquarters in Quetta Cantonment, he said Security Forces (SFs) were playing a commendable role for securing peace and tranquillity in the province. He called upon the military and civil leadership to adopt a collective approach in this regard. The PM said the Federal Government was committed to resolving the issue of Balochistan and putting it on the track to prosperity. He stressed the need to further accelerate development projects in the province to ensure relief for its people. Chief of Army Staff (CoAS), General Raheel Sharif, Balochistan Chief Minister (CM) Abdul Malik Baloch, Balochistan Governor Mohammad Khan Achakzai, Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Federal Minister for Sate and Foreign Regions (SAFRON) General (retired) Abdul Qadir Baloch were present on the occasion. Southern Command Commander Lieutenant General Nasser Khan Janjua gave a detailed briefing to the prime minister on the overall law and order situation in Balochistan. Earlier, Nawaz laid a wreath at the Yadgaar-e-Shuhada to acknowledge the contribution of the martyrs of Army, FC and Police. Addressing the provincial assembly members, he said, “The federal government has already allocated funds amounting to PKR 8 billion for completion of Gwadar-Rato Dero and Khuzdar-Naag highways,” he said, adding that work on these projects would be launched soon and completed within a year. Besides, he said, funds for PKR 10 billion Kalat-Chaman highway had also been arranged and work on the project would be started soon. Meanwhile, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Raheel Sharif said that the Pakistan Army would provide maximum assistance in enhancing the capacity of Balochistan Police to ensure peace in the province. General Sharif said another three courses would be run by the Pakistan Army this year for Police and Balochistan Constabulary. Southern Command Commander Lieutenant General Nasir Khan Janjua and other senior officers were also present on the occasion. According to ISPR, currently 200 individuals of police and Balochistan Constabulary are being imparted training by Pakistan Army’s Southern Command in Quetta. An eight-week-long course will conclude on February 7. Earlier in 2013, Pakistan Army provided 5,000 weapons and 500,000 rounds of ammunition to Balochistan Police besides imparting training to 200 policemen to enhance their capacity in anti-terrorism. The trained force now comprises Anti-Terrorist Force Balochistan, which has displayed good performance in the last few months after the training. Read less...

Unidentified militants shot dead a worker, identified as Bakht Muhammad of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), while he was on his way to home with his colleague on the Bypass Road area of Qilla Abdullah District on January 30, reports Dawn. However, his friend remained unhurt. Read less...

Three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed and four others sustained injuries in a roadside Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion near Awaran town (Awaran District) of Balochistan, on January 31, reports Daily Times. “The FC vehicle was on a routine patrol from Awaran to Lasbela on the national highway when it was hit by an IED planted by miscreants,” Frontier Corps Spokesperson Mohammed Wasay said. The Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility for the attack. Read less...