The attack, the deadliest in recent years in the restive province, prompted Islamabad to vow retaliation.
Pakistani security forces launched a massive manhunt for militants behind a wave of coordinated attacks across Balochistan on Sunday, a day after violence killed at least 31 civilians, 17 security personnel and 145 militants, Reuters reported, citing official figures.
Police officers inspect the site after a terrorist attack in Quetta, Pakistan, on February 1, 2026 (Reuters)The attack, the deadliest in recent years in the restive province, prompted Islamabad to vow retaliation.
Authorities imposed extensive security restrictions across the province as investigations continued and rescue operations entered their second day.
Invasion of Balochistan: Top 10 pointsAbout a dozen places targeted in Saturday’s attacks — including the provincial capital Quetta — were locked down on Sunday, as troops searched affected areas after militants attacked banks, prisons and military installations, officials said, news agency AFP reported. A deputy district commissioner was abducted during the violence, an official told the news agency.Mobile internet services across Balochistan have been suspended for over 24 hours, while road traffic has been disrupted and train services have been suspended as part of tight security measures.After being rocked by the blast, normally bustling Quetta was largely deserted on Sunday, with main roads empty, businesses closed and residents staying at home amid fears of renewed violence.Scattered pieces of metal and mangled vehicles were seen strewn across several streets in the city, reflecting the intensity of the explosions and gun battle that began a day earlier.”There is no guarantee that anyone who leaves home will return safely. There is constant fear of whether they will return unharmed,” Hamdullah, a 39-year-old shopkeeper who goes by one name, told AFP in Quetta.Pakistan’s military said it was conducting “sanitization operations” in areas affected by the attack and vowed to take action against those responsible. “The instigators, perpetrators, abettors and instigators of this heinous and cowardly act will be brought to justice,” it said in a statement late on Saturday.The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the province’s most active separatist militant group, claimed responsibility in a statement sent to AFP, saying it had targeted military installations as well as police and civil administration officials with gun attacks and suicide bombings.A day after Saturday’s violence, the army said it had killed 41 insurgents in two separate operations in Balochistan, a province that has witnessed a decade of separatist insurgency and repeated attacks on security forces, non-local Pakistanis and foreign interests.India on Sunday categorically rejected Pakistan Army’s claims of Indian involvement in the Balochistan violence. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We categorically reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan, which are nothing more than a natural ploy to divert attention from its own internal failings.””Rather than making absurd claims every time violence occurs, it would be better to focus on addressing the long-standing grievances of its people in the region. Its record of repression, brutality and human rights violations is well-known,” the New Delhi spokesperson added.(AFP, with input from Reuters)
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