Pakistani forces and intelligence agencies carried out more than 31,000 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Balochistan during the first seven months of 2026, the military’s spokesperson said on Friday, while ruling out negotiations with armed groups.
Addressing a press briefing in Rawalpindi, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said 40,348 IBOs had been conducted across Pakistan so far this year. Of these, 31,080 were carried out in Balochistan, 7,177 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 2,091 in other parts of the country.
Chaudhry said the counterterrorism campaign was continuing around the clock, with Pakistani forces and law-enforcement agencies carrying out close to 200 operations each day.
He claimed that 2,084 people described by the military as “confirmed terrorists” had been killed during the same period, equivalent to an average of nearly 10 each day.
The military spokesperson ruled out negotiations or what he described as the appeasement of armed groups, saying they would have to lay down their weapons, submit to the Constitution and the law and face accountability.
“Either they will surrender, or we will eradicate them,” Chaudhry said, adding that military operations would continue until the state considered the threat of terrorism eliminated.
Chaudhry also accused sections of the political and tribal elite of seeking to preserve an exploitative status quo that prevented ordinary people from receiving education and progressing economically.
He described “elitism, sardarism and the desire to maintain the status quo” as fundamental problems facing Balochistan.
He alleged that some influential figures encouraged attacks and instability when their political or economic interests were challenged, saying the state would engage directly with the people of Balochistan rather than those seeking benefits for themselves and their families.