KALAT/QUETTA: A levies official was martyred and two others were injured on Sunday while repulsing a terrorists attack on a checkpost in Balochistan’s Kalat district, officials said.
Confirming the attack in a statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said that one Levies personnel was martyred and two other injured in the attack on a Levies checkpost in Kalat.
“The Levies force immediately retaliated, forcing the assailants to flee”, Rind informed, saying investigation into the attack has been ordered.
The injured personnel have been shifted to Quetta for medical treatment, according to Rind.
The spokesperson further said a search operation was being carried out to arrest the miscreants and that directives on that had been issued to the law enforcement agencies.
Expressing the Balochistan government’s condolences on the incident, Rind paid tribute to the martyred security personnel and said he shared the grief of the bereaved family.
“The sacrifices rendered by the security forces to restore peace will not go to waste,” Rind asserted.
The attack on the checkpost comes just a day after four soldiers were martyred while 15 terrorists were killed in two separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) carried out in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
At the outset of this month, 18 soldiers were martyred while 23 terrorists were killed within 24 hours in various sanitisation operations across Balochistan with 12 of the eliminated militants had died in an overnight clash in Kalat.
With at least 685 members of security forces losing their lives amid a total of 444 terror attacks, 2024 turned out to be the deadliest year for the civil and military security forces of Pakistan in a decade, according to a report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) think-tank.
According to the ISPR Director General, security forces conducted a total of 59,775 operations last year during which 925 terrorists were killed and 383 officers and soldiers were martyred.
PM Shehbaz, Interior Minister and CM Bugti condemn attack
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti denounced the attack in a statement on X, paying tribute martyred Levies official Ali Nawaz for fulfilling his duties and setting an “example of bravery by sacrificing his life”.
CM Bugti said he shared the grief of the personnel’s family and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured security persons.
“The sacrifices rendered by the security forces to protect the people of Balochistan will always be remembered,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack on a Levies post in Kalat, paying tribute to the martyred officer, Ali Nawaz.
Expressing his deep sorrow, the prime minister prayed for the elevation of the martyr’s ranks and patience for the bereaved family. He also wished a swift recovery for the injured personnel.
PM Shehbaz reaffirmed that terrorists are enemies of Balochistan’s progress and development, vowing that their nefarious plans will not succeed.
“The Levies officer sacrificed his life for the protection of the homeland, and we salute all martyrs who lay down their lives for the peace of the nation,” the prime minister stated.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack and paid tribute to the martyred officer, Ali Nawaz.
Praising his bravery, Naqvi said, “Ali Nawaz courageously confronted the terrorists and attained martyrdom in the line of duty. He sacrificed his precious life for the peace of the nation.”
