Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has described India and the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as two sides of the same coin.
Speaking to the media in Sialkot, Asif said that 12 separate terrorist incidents took place in Balochistan on a single day.
He claimed that these attacks were carried out to compensate for the losses suffered by the banned BLA over the past year. He added that after facing setbacks last year, India has now resorted to targeting civilians through proxy groups.
The defence minister said that statements of arrested terrorists provide clear evidence of their links with India.
He alleged that their handlers are based in Afghanistan and that civilian populations have been deliberately targeted. Asif warned that enemies of peace should not expect any leniency, adding that facilitators of terrorism would also be eliminated. He accused such elements of disguising themselves under the banner of human rights.
Addressing the issue of missing persons, Asif said the narrative was a ‘complete fraud’ claiming that many terrorists killed in operations later appear on missing persons lists.
He alleged that those termed as missing persons are either living abroad, including in Dubai, or are involved in terrorist activities.
He further said that security forces are currently engaged in clearance operations and asserted that peace has been restored across Balochistan.
