Death toll from armed attacks in Pakistan's Balochistan exceeds 70

Pakistani officials say that in attacks by separatist militants on police stations, railway lines, and a highway in Balochistan province, and the response of the country's security forces, at least '73 people' have been killed. Mohsen Naqvi, Pakistan's Interior Minister, stated on Monday, September 5, that 'these attacks are a carefully planned effort to create chaos in Pakistan,' and announced that security forces have killed 12 militants. The Pakistan Army also announced hours later that '21 militants' were killed in these attacks. It is unclear whether the figures provided by the Pakistan Army include those announced by the Interior Minister. The Army also reported that '14 police and soldiers' lost their lives in the attacks. Sarfaraz Bugti, the Balochistan provincial minister, announced shortly after the Army's statement that the total number of civilian deaths in these attacks has risen to 38. Local officials had previously reported that in the deadliest attack on a major highway in Balochistan, 23 people were killed. Mr. Bugti further stated that these individuals were pulled from a bus and killed in front of their family members. He also announced that to counter the militants and prevent their coordination, mobile internet services in the area have been restricted. In this incident, 35 vehicles were also set on fire. Najibullah Kakar, an official from the Musakhail area in the province, told AFP that these militants 'inspected vehicles traveling to Punjab, identified people from Punjab, and shot them.' While the Interior Ministry of Pakistan claims that the deceased were mostly 'Punjabi workers' and civilians, the Balochistan Liberation Army stated that its militants targeted military personnel traveling in civilian clothes. In another attack by the 'Balochistan Liberation Army' on a railway bridge, the bodies of 'six unidentified individuals' were discovered. This bridge is part of the railway line that connects the capital of Balochistan to other regions of Pakistan and also to its neighbor, Iran. As a result of this attack, train traffic has been suspended. Additionally, in the militants' attack on a police station in Balochistan, at least 10 people, including 'six security forces, three civilians, and a tribal chief,' were killed. The Balochistan Liberation Army issued a statement sent to the media claiming to have carried out other attacks, including an assault on a major militant base, although Pakistani officials have yet to confirm these attacks. The statement also mentioned that four suicide bombers, including a woman, attacked a militant base in the port city of Gwadar in southern Pakistan, known as the 'economic corridor of China and Pakistan.' Pakistani officials have not confirmed the suicide bombings, but Sarfaraz Bugti, the Balochistan provincial minister, stated that three people were killed at this base. The Balochistan Liberation Army is a militant group and the largest among several ethnic insurgent groups that have been fighting the central government in Balochistan for decades, claiming that the gas resources and mines of Balochistan are being exploited unfairly. This group demands the withdrawal of China from the province and autonomy for Balochistan. However, Shahbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, has promised that security forces will retaliate for these attacks and bring those responsible to justice. Balochistan, which shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan, is the largest province in Pakistan by area and is rich in minerals. However, it is also the least populated province in Pakistan, struggling with severe poverty due to a lack of access to resources and underdevelopment.