At least three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed, and 16 others were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast targeting a police vehicle in Balochistan’s Mastung area on the morning of April 15. Two of the severely injured are battling life threatening injuries and their condition was described by doctors as critical.
The vehicle, according to the paramilitary force, was targeted on the Dasht road in the Shamsabad area, leaving as many as 16 personnel wounded in the incident. Noting that an emergency has been imposed in the Bolan Medical Complex Hospital and the Civil Hospital, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said that those injured in the incident are being shifted to Quetta including the severely injured.
Highlighting that the vehicle carrying security personnel from Kalat via the RTC was targeted by an IED blast, Rind said that Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has directed Health Minister Bakht Kakar to oversee the situation. Ordering the best of healthcare facilities for the injured, Bugti warned that no negligence would be tolerated in their treatment.
“The Balochistan government will stand by the martyrs,” Rind said, adding all out efforts were being made to apprehend the culprits responsible for detonating the IED.
Condemning the incident, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed solidarity with the victims and their families, reaffirming the government’s resolve to effectively counter the nefarious intentions of “enemies of humanity”. He stressed that the war against such elements would continue until their menace was completely eradicated from the country.
The incident comes against the backdrop of an alarming surge in terror incidents in the country with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which share a border with neighbouring Afghanistan, facing the brunt of incidents. Both Baloch nationalists fighting for an independent nation of Balochistan and Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have created sanctuaries in the border belt.
For the first time in 12 years, however, the first quarter of the year 2025 saw some promising trends in the security landscape of Pakistan, with the fatalities of militants and insurgents outnumbering the cumulative losses of civilians and security forces personnel. Usually, it is the other way around with more casualties among the civilians and security forces.
The Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) had said on Saturday that there were fewer fatalities among civilians and security forces personnel compared to the fourth quarter (Q4, October to December) of 2024.
KP and Balochistan remain epicentres of violence, accounting for 98 per cent of all fatalities, with attacks growing bolder and militant tactics evolving. The unprecedented hijacking of the Jaffar Express in a remote area by the Baloch rebels was a very significant event that took place on March 11. Projections warn of over 3,600 fatalities by year-end if current trends persist, potentially making 2025 one of Pakistan’s deadliest years.
During Q1 2025 (January to March), Pakistan witnessed 897 violence-linked fatalities and 542 injuries among civilians, security personnel and armed rebels. The tally of casualties, totalling 1,439, stemmed from 354 incidents of violence, including terror attacks and counter-terror operations. Compared to Q4 2024, where 1,028 fatalities were recorded, these figures mark a nearly 13 per cent decline in overall violence.
Balochistan suffered 35 per cent of all fatalities in the period under review, and compared to last quarter, it recorded an alarming 15 per cent surge in the levels of violence.
Against 495 armed rebels eliminated, the civilians and security personnel suffered 402 fatalities, which account for nearly 19 per cent less losses compared to the rebels. Their combined losses accounted for nearly 45 per cent of all fatalities compared to outlaws making up over 55% of the total recorded this quarter.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that armed men launched a coordinated and deadly assault on the Frontier Corps (FC) camp in the Galangur area of Balochistan’s Noshki district during the night between Sunday and Monday. The attack may have resulted in casualties among Pakistani military personnel and triggered an intense search operation in the surrounding mountainous region, according to The Balochistan Post.
The attackers stormed the main army installation from multiple directions using modern weaponry, engaging in several hours of intense gunfire and explosions. The FC camp was reportedly captured, with ammunition and military equipment seized by the militants.
The assault was further intensified when reinforcements dispatched to the area were reportedly ambushed en route, leading to additional casualties. In the incident, the attackers also took over a nearby Levies post. The personnel stationed there were detained during the assault but were later released, according to local sources.
