Latest news with #Tehrik-e-TalibanPakistan
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Punjab Police kill four terrorists in Dera Ghazi Khan
Punjab Police on Sunday killed four terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the Kot Mubarak area of Dera Ghazi Khan district. According to a spokesperson for Punjab Police, law enforcement officials launched the operation following credible intelligence regarding the movement of terrorists affiliated with the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) near the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border. As police teams encircled the area and commenced the operation, the terrorists opened heavy fire. A fierce exchange ensued, during which four terrorists were killed, the police spokesperson said. Punjab Police foil major terror attack in Dera Ghazi Khan Arms and ammunition were recovered from the site, he said. 'Some of the militants managed to escape into nearby bushes and dunes,' he said, adding that a search and sweep operation was underway to locate and apprehend the remaining suspects. Inspector General of Punjab Police Dr Usman Anwar commended the local police for their swift and effective response, stating that Punjab Police remain a 'fortified wall' against extremist elements and will not allow anti-state actors to succeed in their nefarious designs. PM Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir vow decisive action against Indian-sponsored proxies in Balochistan Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the Dera Ghazi Khan police for what he described as a successful operation against 'the menace of Khawarij.' 'The entire nation stands united in the fight against terrorism,' the premier said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office. 'We will not rest until the complete eradication of this menace from the country.' The prime minister also praised the professionalism and bravery of the officers and personnel involved in the operation, noting the enduring sacrifices of police and law enforcement agencies in the ongoing war against terrorism.
New Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Pakistan modernising nuclear arsenal; views India as 'existential threat', says US intelligence
In its Worldwide Threat Assessment report for 2025, the US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) stated that Pakistan regards India as an 'existential threat,' while India considers China its 'primary adversary' and views Pakistan more as an 'ancillary security problem' to be managed. The report highlights Pakistan's continued military modernisation, including the development of battlefield nuclear weapons aimed at offsetting India's conventional military advantage. Pakistan is also upgrading its nuclear arsenal and maintaining strict security over its nuclear materials and command systems. The report says that Pakistan, almost certainly is acquiring weapons of mass destruction (WMD)-applicable goods from foreign suppliers and intermediaries. The report states that China remains Pakistan's main economic and military partner. The two countries conduct multiple joint military exercises every year, including a new air exercise completed in November 2024. Materials and technology supporting Pakistan's WMD programs are very likely sourced primarily from China, sometimes transshipped through Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. However, the report says that terrorist attacks targeting Chinese workers involved in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects have caused friction, with seven Chinese nationals killed in Pakistan in 2024. The report outlines Pakistan military's key priorities as managing cross-border skirmishes with regional neighbours, responding to rising attacks by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baloch nationalist militants, conducting counterterrorism operations, and continuing nuclear modernisation. Despite ongoing operations, militants killed more than 2,500 people across Pakistan in 2024.
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.
NBC News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Blast targeting school bus kills four children in Pakistan's Balochistan
QUETTA, Pakistan — At least four children were killed by a suicide bomber who targeted an army school bus in Pakistan 's restive Balochistan province, a government official said Wednesday. 'The bus was on its way to a school in an army cantonment,' said Yasir Iqbal, the administrator of Khuzdar district, where the incident took place. Around 40 students were in the bus that was headed to the army-run school, Iqbal said, adding that several were injured in the incident. Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province by area, but smallest by population. The province of some 15 million people in the southwest of the country is home to key mining projects but has been roiled by a decades-old insurgency. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, which was reminiscent of one of the deadliest militant attacks in Pakistan's history when an attack on a military school in the northern city of Peshawar in 2014 killed more than 130 children. It was claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an ultra-radical Islamist group. Attacks by separatist groups in Balochistan have risen in recent years. The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist militant group, blew up a railway track and took passengers from a train hostage in March, killing 31.
India.com
05-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
India Pakistan tensions: Can bankrupt Pakistan sustain war with much powerful India? Experts make startling observations
New Delhi: Pakistan's ability to fight a full-scale war with India on many fronts is very limited. According to experts, its dire economy, challenges in internal security, and lack of military equipment make it difficult for Pakistan to sustain prolonged military conflict. Pakistan's economic situation is quite poor and its GDP is only 374 billion dollars while its foreign exchange reserves are about 15 billion dollars. Pakistan is in no position to purchase essential items. It will have to ask the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and China for essential goods. A war will be economically devastating for the country. In Balochistan, Baloch separatist groups and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan are continuously launching attacks. Additionally, the long-standing political instability and the military's interference in politics also weaken it as a country. The challenge of dealing with both conflicts with India and internal will weigh heavily on the Pakistan Army. Pakistan has very little ammunition to attack and defend. The armed forces of Pakistan are trained and professional, but not in a better position in terms of military capability. With the requirement of specific ammunition, it will be difficult to ensure supply of the necessary weapons and military equipment. Experts believe that since Pakistan has little stockpile of weapons and ammunition, it might resort to nuclear weapons. Pakistan has acquired advanced JF-17 and J-10C fighter jets from China, but in comparison, India has more and superior platforms that have proven their capability in warfare. Over the past decade, India has significantly increased its domestic defense production capacity, and most of the army's needs are being met by domestic industry. That's not the case with Pakistan. Considering these factors, it can be said that Pakistan can hardly wage a full conventional war with India. If a war occurs, it will be difficult for Pakistan to last even a week. Its other resources will be exhausted very quickly in war. Chances are its economy will further deteriorate.
