Latest news with #Bugti
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
There exists no need to launch large-scale operation in province: Bugti
ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister of Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti has ruled out the need for a large-scale military operation in the province, stating that Pakistan will thwart every attack orchestrated by the so-called 'Fitna-e-Hindustan.' Addressing at a press conference in Islamabad, Bugti accused India of resorting to proxy warfare following its military failures. 'After suffering defeat, India is now relying on proxies. The enemy is waging a proxy war against us and dreams of destabilising Pakistan's rising economy,' he said. Bugti said India's 'evil designs' have been exposed, and the state holds 'solid evidence' against Fitna-e-Hindustan. He claimed the recent attack in Khuzdar, in which children were martyred, was carried out through these proxies and backed by the Indian intelligence agency RAW. 'RAW is fully supporting Fitna-e-Hindustan and is providing intelligence to their handlers. These terrorists should not be associated with the Baloch people,' he emphasised. The chief minister reiterated that all acts of terrorism in Balochistan have been RAW-funded since day one. 'There is no need for any large military operation in Balochistan. We will successfully foil every attack launched by Fitna-e-Hindustan,' Bugti asserted. He also criticised Indian media for spreading false reports, including a fabricated story about the destruction of Karachi Port. 'Fitna-e-Hindustan is part of a conspiracy to put Pakistan's peace at risk,' he added. 'India was defeated on the battlefield, and the Pakistan Armed Forces gave a befitting response to Indian aggression,' Bugti said. Commenting on internal matters, he said that political dialogue is always possible with political parties, but issues such as missing persons are often used as propaganda against the state. 'In today's polarised environment, it is nearly impossible for political parties to agree on any issue,' he concluded. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
New budget to focus on education, health: Bugti
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has said the upcoming provincial budget will focus on health and education sectors and there will be no room for politically driven development schemes. The CM made these remarks while chairing a meeting on Tuesday at the Chief Minister's Secretariat. The meeting reviewed preparations for the upcoming Balochistan Budget 202526 and the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The meeting was attended by provincial ministers and parliamentary leaders of coalition parties. Participants engaged in detailed deliberations on developmental priorities, effective allocation of financial resources, and initiatives aimed at public welfare. During the session, Chief Minister Bugti stated that the upcoming budget would be centered on sustainable development and the genuine needs of the people. He assured that recommendations from the parliamentary committee would be carefully incorporated into the final draft of the budget to ensure inclusivity and relevance. He reiterated the provincial government's commitment to transparency and accountability, particularly in the utilization of development funds. Bugti emphasized that health and education would receive top priority and that all efforts would be made to ensure merit-based allocation of resources across all districts and union councils. "There will be no room for politically driven schemes. Every area and every citizen of Balochistan will be treated equally. It is my foremost responsibility to guarantee transparency in fund distribution," he said while addressing the parliamentary leaders. The meeting marks a significant step toward finalizing a budget aimed at stimulating economic growth, enhancing infrastructure, and expanding social services throughout the province.
Qatar Tribune
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
At least six killed in school bus blast in Pakistan's restive Balochistan
Agencies Islamabad At least six people have been killed in a blast targeting a school bus in the Khuzdar district of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, an official said. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said four children, the bus driver and his assistant were killed in the attack on Wednesday. Yasir Iqbal Dashti, a government official in Khuzdar, said at least 38 people were wounded. 'The school bus belonged to Army Public School as it was picking children in the morning when it was attacked,' he told Al Jazeera. Bugti told a news conference in Quetta that 46 students were on the school bus that was hit by a 'vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack' according to initial investigations. 'We have been air-lifting the critically injured children to Quetta from Khuzdar,' Bugti said. He said it was 'premature to confirm the nature of the attack' and that further investigations were ongoing. Balochistan province, which is rich in minerals and natural resources, has been home to a decades-long conflict between the government and ethnic Baloch separatists, who demand secession from Pakistan. Wednesday's attack came days after a car bombing killed four people near a market in Qillah Abdullah, also in Balochistan.
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Pakistan blames India for school bus attack that killed 5
ISLAMABAD - Three children and two adults were killed in a blast on Wednesday that targeted a school bus in south-western Pakistan, with Islamabad blaming India for the attack. Terrorists targeted the bus in the city of Khuzdar, in the restive province of Balochistan, as it took students to a military-run school, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said. Preliminary findings suggested that it was not a suicide attack, he said at a press conference. The dead included three young girls who were students of grades 6, 7 and 10. More than 40 students were wounded, many of them said to be suffering severe wounds. Bugti said that his government had intelligence reports that Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was planning something in Balochistan but "did not expect him to target innocent children." "After facing a humiliating defeat on the battlefield, India has resorted to despicable and cowardly acts," the media wing of Pakistan's military said in a statement. "Planners, abettors and executors of this cowardly Indian sponsored attack will be hunted down and brought to justice and heinous face of India will be exposed in front of the entire world," the statement added. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will make an emergency visit to the province where he would be briefed on the attack by terrorists, allegedly backed by India, said a statement issued by his office. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a rebel group fighting for the independence of the region from Pakistan, earlier claimed it targeted the bus, but said it was transporting the soldiers. Islamabad claims that the BLA is backed by India. Violence orchestrated by sub-nationalist rebels has surged in Balochistan, a region that borders both Afghanistan and Iran, and is a hub of Chinese investment and connectivity projects. Earlier this month, India and Pakistan carried out tit-for-tat drone, missile and airstrikes targeting each other's military installations and airbases. The nuclear-armed rivals agreed to the ceasefire on May 10 but continue to accuse each other for terror incidents. ---------- Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
School Bus Bombing in Pakistan Kills at Least 6, Including 4 Students
At least six people, including four schoolchildren, were killed when a bomb hit a school bus in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan Province on Wednesday morning, officials said, the latest outbreak of violence in a region plagued by separatist insurgency and militancy. Sarfraz Bugti, Balochistan's chief minister, said that, as well as the four students, the bus driver and a helper had been killed in the attack and that several others had been wounded. 'Forty-six students were on board the bus when it was targeted with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device,' Mr. Bugti said during a news conference in the city of Quetta. He added that militant groups had been deliberately zeroing in on easier targets, such as children, over the past several months. The attack took place in the Khuzdar district, about 180 miles south of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, along the main highway connecting Quetta and Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province. The school bus was transporting students from various areas to a military-run school in a high-security cantonment, according to officials. 'The explosion occurred as the school bus was passing through the area,' said Yasir Iqbal Dashti, a senior district official, adding, 'The bodies of the deceased and the injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital.' Those who were seriously wounded were later airlifted to Quetta for more advanced medical treatment. After the explosion, a large contingent of military and police personnel arrived at the site and cordoned off the area. Witnesses said that the blast had ignited the bus, leaving it destroyed. 'The blast was so powerful that we heard it from miles away,' said Mansoor Mengal, a local resident. 'The site was strewn with blood, children's shoes and school bags.' Balochistan has long been troubled by violence linked to separatist militant groups, including the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army. The group frequently targets security forces, government infrastructure and Chinese nationals involved in projects connected to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Pakistan's flagship initiative under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. This week, however, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an outlawed Islamist militant group primarily operating in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, near the border with Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for a separate attack in Khuzdar. That assault targeted a security post, killing four members of an irregular police unit. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the school bus bombing on Wednesday. The attack drew memories of a 2014 attack in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, in which Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militants stormed a similar military-run school and killed more than 140 students and staff in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country's history. The Pakistani government and military, in separate statements, condemned Wednesday's attack and charged that 'India's terrorist network orchestrated the assault through its proxy organizations operating in the region,' though no evidence was provided to support the claim. The two nuclear-armed neighbors frequently accuse each other of supporting cross-border terrorism and fueling instability. Both countries are recovering from a deadly four-day exchange of drone and missile strikes, ignited by an attack that killed 26 tourists in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for backing the attackers, while Islamabad denied involvement and called for an impartial international investigation.
