Pakistan army chief visits troops in Balochistan after deadly attack near Iran border

Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa (left) addresses soldiers in Kech, Balochistan, on January 29, 2022. (Screengrab from ISPR video)

• General Bajwa’s visit comes days after ten Pakistani soldiers were killed in Kech district in southwestern Balochistan province
• Local commander briefs him on Pak-Iran border fencing and measures taken to counter efforts to destabilize the province

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday spent an entire day with soldiers posted near his country’s border with Iran and visited Kech where ten Pakistani soldiers were killed in a militant attack last week.
According to details, the soldiers lost their lives after their checkpoint in the area came under intense fire. One attacker was killed in the exchange of fire while three other militants were arrested in a follow-up clearance operation.
The army chief received a comprehensive briefing on the prevailing security situation in the area, Pakistan-Iran border fencing and measures taken to counter hostile efforts to destabilize the security situation in Balochistan.
“All terrorists shall be brought to justice and blood of the martyrs will not go to a waste,” the military’s public relations wing, ISPR, quoted him in an official statement. “Balochistan is the future of Pakistan and the progress and prosperity of this province means progress of the country.”
Pakistan has frequently witnessed militant attacks along its 959-kilometer border with Iran, forcing it to build a fence to protect its frontier regions.
Both Pakistan and Iran have repeatedly accused each other of allowing militants to cross border and carry out attacks against each other. Both states also deny any complicity in such incidents.
General Bajwa said the army would do everything to help the provincial administration of Balochistan achieve enduring peace and prosperity.
“The disruptive efforts by inimical forces won’t be allowed to succeed,” he said, adding: “Security, stability and prosperity of Balochistan shall be pursued and ensured at all cost.”
Earlier this week, Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told an international media outlet that the country was likely to witness a surge in militant attacks in the coming days, though he maintained that the government was trying to deal with armed groups involved in such violent activities.
“There is a fear that terrorist incidents can increase in the next two months,” he said, “but we will be able to deal with this fresh wave of violence.”