• CM’s aide claims ‘15 TTP men’ gunned down in clearance operation
• After brief demo, Ziarat protesters join Hanna Uruk sit-in
• President, PM condemn attack; Bugti orders ‘swift and decisive’ action
QUETTA: At least nine police officials, including two station house officers, embraced martyrdom in an attack on a police post in the Mangi Dam area of Ziarat, while 15 alleged terrorists were killed in a clearance operation after the attack.
Sources said terrorists assaulted the police post on Monday night and managed to enter the premises after a gun battle that continued for some time. Ziarat Deputy Commissioner Abdul Qudoos Achakzai confirmed the number of casualties in the attack. He said the whereabouts of five policemen were still unknown, adding that additional personnel had been dispatched to the area for the recovery of the missing police officials.
Balochistan CM’s aide Shahid Rind said the martyrs included the SHOs of the Mangi and Kawas police stations and the in-charge head constable of the Anti-Terrorist Force. Mr Rind claimed that 15 terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan were killed in a subsequent clearance operation. Mr Rind said intelligence-based operations against terrorists would continue with greater intensity and that elements challenging the state’s writ would be brought to justice.
After the attack, the locals blocked the Quetta-Ziarat Highway by staging a sit-in to protest the incident.
The protest resulted in the suspension of traffic on the Quetta-Zhob (N-50) highway, and a large number of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road.
However, the protesters called off the sit-in in the evening, announcing that they would join the sit-in already underway in Quetta against the Hanna Urak attack.
The Quetta sit-in over the Hanna Urak killings continued for the third day on the airport road, bringing life in the area to a standstill.
The people were using an alternative route to reach the airport. The protesters demanded a meeting with the field marshal, saying they would not end the protest until the meeting.
CM briefed on law & order
A high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti reviewed the law and order situation in Ziarat after the terrorist attacks. The CM, along with Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, reached Ziarat. Along with IGP Tahir Khan, he condoled with the families of the martyrs, visited the injured, and expressed solidarity with the security forces.
IGP Tahir Khan gave a detailed briefing on the Mangi Dam incident, the ongoing operation against terrorists, the security situation and the future strategy. The CM directed that the operation against terrorists and their facilitators should be taken to its logical conclusion at all costs, and that no opportunity should be given to the anti-state elements to regroup.
He said all law enforcement agencies should continue their operations in a more effective, swift, and decisive manner with mutual coordination. The CM stated that the situation was certainly challenging, but the government’s resolve was stronger than ever.
President, PM condemn attack
The Ziarat attack was strongly condemned by President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi among others. In a statement, the president said, “We will foil every conspiracy aimed at undermining peace and stability in Balochistan. The state will continue its operations against terrorism with full force.”
PM Shehbaz condemned the attack and paid tribute to the martyred personnel. According to state broadcaster PTV, he vowed that the “blood of the martyrs will be avenged”. “We will not allow anyone to harm the peace of Balochistan. We will continue the fight against the enemies of peace until they are completely eliminated,” he added.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the police for killing 15 terrorists. He said the nation and security forces were determined to thwart “every conspiracy by Indian-sponsored terrorists to sabotage peace”.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026
