Pakistan Deploys Helicopters and Drones to End Nushki Standoff, 58 Killed in Balochistan Violence

QUETTA, Feb. 4: Pakistan’s security forces deployed helicopters and drones to regain control of the southwestern town of Nushki after a three-day standoff with separatist insurgents, police said Wednesday, as the weekend’s coordinated attacks left 58 dead.

The violence began on Saturday when the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the region’s strongest insurgent groups, launched simultaneous attacks across Balochistan, targeting schools, banks, markets, and security installations. The assaults killed more than 22 security personnel and 36 civilians, police officials said.

In Nushki, a desert town of around 50,000 residents, insurgents briefly seized the police station and other security installations, leading to a three-day siege. Security forces reported seven officers killed before regaining control of the town late Monday. Operations against BLA fighters continue elsewhere in the province.

“More troops were sent to Nushki. Helicopters and drones were used against the militants,” a security official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The attacks began with suicide blasts in Nushki and the fishing port of Pasni around 4 a.m. Saturday, followed by gunfire and grenade attacks in 11 additional locations, including Quetta, the provincial capital. Insurgents temporarily seized at least six district administration offices and advanced to within 1 kilometer of the chief minister’s office in Quetta.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to strategic investments including China’s Gwadar deepwater port. The province has experienced decades-long insurgency from ethnic Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a larger share of local resources.

The Pakistani government has blamed India for the attacks, allegations that New Delhi has denied. Retired Lt. General Amir Riaz, who commanded the military in Balochistan from 2015 to 2017, said the insurgency has evolved over the past decade, gaining strength through alleged external support and staging from Afghanistan, a claim denied by the Taliban.

Riaz emphasized that while security operations are ongoing, the conflict can ultimately only be resolved through political processes and improved governance.