Islamabad: Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, has declared that individuals facilitating the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) through social media propaganda will be treated as terrorists.
His remarks came two days after BLA militants attacked the Jaffer Express and held passengers hostage for 24 hours. Addressing the National Assembly, he stated that while the outlawed group was attacking the train, social media was being used to target Pakistan’s security forces.
"This is an act of facilitation for terrorists because the security forces were protecting innocent civilians, including women, children, and government employees," the minister said.
Talal Chaudhry warned that those supporting terrorists through social media would not be treated any differently than the terrorists themselves. He emphasized that there is no difference between the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the BLA, alleging that both groups operate from Afghan soil with external funding and training.
"The only difference is that one group’s members have beards, while the others don’t. Their methods of attack and objectives of spreading fear and division are the same," he added.
Dismissing the notion of an insurgency in Balochistan, the minister labeled the attack on the Jaffer Express as an act of terrorism. He praised the security forces for neutralizing the attackers and highlighted that in 2013, when the PML-N government took power, Pakistan faced an average of six terrorist attacks per day. However, under the leadership of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the situation improved.
Talal Chaudhry attributed the resurgence of terrorism to policy failures after 2018, blaming the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government led by Imran Khan. He urged all political stakeholders to engage in serious dialogue on national security issues.
"The terrorists brought back by PTI for political gains are now killing people. This is a matter of national security, and we need to sit down and discuss solutions, whether through the National Action Plan or other strategies. Mere speeches will not solve the problem," he asserted.
Emphasizing the need for full implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), formulated after the 2014 APS Peshawar attack, Talal Chaudhry criticized the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for failing to develop institutional capacity to combat terrorism.
"KP has received over Rs 600 billion through the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award over 20 years, yet its Counter Terrorism Department operates from rented buildings and lacks adequate resources," he claimed. "Intelligence agencies provide timely information, but there is no effective response at the provincial level."
Comparing KP to Punjab, he noted that intelligence-based operations yield results in Punjab, whereas KP lacks either the capability or the will to act.
Calling for accountability, Talal Chaudhry challenged PTI leaders to present their 13-year performance in KP, stating that he was ready to present his ministry’s one-year performance report.
In response, PTI leader Zartaj Gul criticized Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, accusing him of targeting PTI even during a national crisis. She further claimed that he had no right to hold ministerial office since he had lost the 2024 general election to PTI’s Rehana Dar. However, official Election Commission results showed that Khawaja Asif had defeated Rehana Dar by over 18,000 votes.
Gul also slammed the federal government for poor governance despite its large cabinet.
Meanwhile, JUI-F’s Usman Badini called for addressing the grievances of Balochistan’s people and taking practical steps to resolve the province’s challenges.
PML-N’s Sheikh Aftab Ahmed urged all political parties to unite in tackling terrorism and other national issues, while PPP’s Sehar Kamran lauded the security forces for their successful operation against the Jaffer Express attackers.
