Announces handover of 100 weapons of militants in Dera Bugti, calls development ‘a positive and welcome step’
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti. Photo: APP/File
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned elements spreading false narratives against Pakistan Armed Forces, saying: “Some political parties are spreading anti-state propaganda, while their own children study abroad. Our state is more important than politics.”
Addressing a press conference, CM Bugti announced that 100 militants have surrendered their weapons in Dera Bugti, terming this development as “a positive and welcome step”. “The state is paramount. Those who surrender must be welcomed,” Bugti said.
He recalled that former Chief Minister Jamal Raisani’s father was martyred in 2018 and underlined that the militants who surrendered were previously associated with terrorist organisations. “They have recognized the authority of the state; we should welcome them. When people surrender, extremism in Balochistan will decrease,” he said.
Over the past year, 900 incidents occurred in the province, resulting in the martyrdom of 205 security personnel and 280 civilians, Bugti noted. During the operations, 760 terrorists were killed.
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“Pakistan and its flag are more important than anything else,” he said. “The martyrs are our pride,” he added.
Bugti emphasized that the Afghan authorities had assured the world under the Doha Agreement that Afghan territory would not be used for terrorism. “The Taliban regime has violated this promise,” he added. Two officers from Balochistan were among the martyrs, Bugti said, recalling an earlier attack on his own vehicle in which two people were injured.
The Prime Minister praised the nation’s support for the security forces: “The entire nation stands behind our brave security forces.” He warned that militancy in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan posed a serious security challenge, but stressed that the Pakistani army is organised, fully prepared and capable of countering the threats.
“The dream of imposing an extremist system is impossible in the presence of the nation and the armed forces,” he said, adding that Baloch youth were being pushed into useless conflicts.
Bugti stressed that it is crucial to stop the recruitment of terrorists and cut their logistical lines. “Instability in Afghanistan provides logistical support to militants,” he said, calling it the national responsibility of politicians to counter anti-state narratives.
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“This is not just a military war; it is a shared struggle of the entire Pakistani nation,” he said. “Discrediting the security forces strengthens the enemy’s narrative. Some parties are helping the enemy by spreading anti-state propaganda.”
Referring to past conflicts, he noted: “On May 9 and 10, the Pakistani nation thwarted Indian designs. During the insurgency in two provinces, defaming state institutions is a dangerous act. Popularity is less important than upholding truth and justice.”
Bugti concluded: “Just as the narrative of Abu Jahl was popular during the time of the Prophet, but the truth was with him, today the nation must unite with its forces to defeat the enemy’s propaganda.”
