Forces thwart attack on Gwadar Port Authority complex, neutralize eight attackers

Karachi: In a swift and decisive operation on Wednesday, security forces successfully thwarted an attack on the Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) complex, eliminating all eight attackers involved, according to official sources.

The assailants, identified as members of the proscribed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), were intercepted and neutralized by security forces as they attempted to breach the perimeter of the port complex. Commissioner Makran Division Saeed Ahmed Umrani confirmed the incident, acknowledging that the attackers had breached the Gwadar Port Authority premises, South Asian Wire Reported.

A significant deployment of security personnel promptly responded to the threat, preventing the attackers from gaining access to the complex. Concurrently, local law enforcement established a secure cordon around the area to contain the situation. Earlier reports indicated a fierce exchange of gunfire and multiple explosions in the vicinity during the operation.

This incident follows previous successful counter-terrorism operations in Balochistan, where security forces repelled attacks in Mach and Kolpur areas, resulting in the elimination of numerous BLA militants. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported that recent attacks in Balochistan involved terrorists, including suicide bombers targeting strategic locations.

Despite facing significant threats, law enforcement agencies effectively neutralized nine terrorists in these incidents, albeit at the cost of brave security personnel and innocent civilians who lost their lives in the line of duty. Balochistan has long been plagued by a violent separatist insurgency since 2006, compounded by militant, sectarian, and ethnic conflicts. Authorities have consistently highlighted external influences seeking to exploit these tensions for geopolitical gains, with specific references made to “hostile agencies” supporting terrorism to destabilize Pakistan.

Notably, in March 2016, Pakistani intelligence agencies apprehended Kulbhushan Jadhav, an active Indian Navy commander, in Balochistan’s Mashkhel region. Jadhav’s arrest underscored allegations of foreign involvement in stoking unrest in the region, further underscoring the complex security challenges faced by Pakistan in Balochistan.