The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) on Saturday issued a detailed statement on the clashes in Kharan, sharply contradicting earlier accounts by Pakistani authorities and the military.
In a media statement, the group said its fighters launched a large, coordinated operation in Kharan on January 15 at around 2:30 pm, claiming they took control of the city, seized the police station and attacked banks and government buildings, inflicting what it described as heavy losses on Pakistani forces.
The BLF claimed more than 50 military personnel were killed and dozens wounded during what it described as nine hours of fighting. It said those injured included Wing Commander Colonel Wadhan and Major Asim.
According to the BLF, its fighters first attacked and captured the Kharan City Police Station, took personnel hostage, seized government weapons and equipment, released detainees and damaged the building, records and police vehicles.
It said another unit entered Kharan’s main bazaar and targeted the National Bank, Meezan Bank, Al Habib Bank and other government institutions. The group claimed a bank security guard was killed during resistance and that two men linked to a local “death squad” were injured.
The BLF said a subsidiary unit, the Qurban Unit, then set up a checkpoint in the Red Zone and ambushed a military convoy of three vehicles, claiming 15 soldiers were killed and all three vehicles destroyed. It said weapons were seized from those killed.
The statement said further clashes in the Red Zone lasted around three hours, during which the army attempted to encircle the fighters using armoured vehicles and infantry. The BLF claimed another 27 soldiers were killed, two armoured vehicles destroyed and the remaining forces retreated, leaving bodies behind.
It said a separate military convoy, including an SSG commando battalion, was attacked in the Kulan area at around 7 pm, with fighting continuing until 1 am. The BLF claimed three more military vehicles were destroyed and dozens of soldiers, including eight SSG commandos, were killed.
The group also claimed it shot down eight quadcopter drones during the fighting.
The BLF acknowledged casualties on its side, saying four of its fighters were killed during the operation and in subsequent drone strikes as they withdrew to mountainous areas. It said it had recovered and buried three of the four.
The statement directly contradicts the account given earlier by the Pakistani military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), which said around 15 to 20 attackers carried out the assault, that 12 were killed during clearance operations, and that Pakistani forces repelled the attackers.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti had earlier said only two army officers were injured and that 12 attackers were killed.
Pakistani authorities have not yet responded to the BLF’s latest statement.
The claims by both sides could not be independently verified because access to the area remains restricted.