Security forces have so far killed 16 terrorists during the ongoing Operation Al-Azm in Balochistan, state media reported on Sunday, citing security forces.

“Continuing intelligence-based operations under Operation Al-Azm against Fitna-al-Hindustan in Balochistan, security forces [have] killed 16 terrorists, destroyed multiple terrorist hideouts and recovered weapons and explosive materials,” state-run Pakistan TV reported.

The government uses the term “Fitna al-Hindustan” for Balochistan-based groups to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan.

Operation Al-Azm was launched after a shooting on a Karachi-bound coach coming from Quetta claimed three lives and injured five others on Wednesday.

It takes place as Balochistan continues to face security challenges, with the military saying on Wednesday that 10 terrorists had been killed and two suicide bombers and their facilitator had been apprehended during operations in Balochistan’s Mastung and Surab in a span of 48 hours.

Earlier this month, security forces and law enforcement personnel jointly launched Operation Shaban in Balochistan in retaliation for a deadly attack on a police post at the Mangi Dam pumping station in Ziarat on July 6. During that assault, armed attackers kidnapped and killed 27 police officers.

A monthly security assessment released in early June by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said that after two consecutive months of improvement, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The report said Balochistan emerged as the most affected province during the month. The province recorded 71 terrorist attacks, compared with 34 in April, representing a 109pc increase.

The deteriorating security situation was further reflected in a surge in kidnappings, it said. Of the 54 abductions reported nationwide during May, 52 occurred in Balochistan alone, highlighting the growing operational reach and confidence of terrorist groups in the province, it said.

On July 9, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the country’s civil and military leadership had taken a “mutual and singular decision” to end terrorism after multiple major terrorist incidents in Balochistan.

He made the remarks at a meeting in Quetta of the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir also present.

On Saturday, the federal and Baloch­is­tan governments reaffir­m­­ed their commitment to strengthening security coordination, accelerating the implementation of a comprehensive peace strategy, and ensuring the writ of the state across the province, declaring there would be “no space for terrorists” in the province.

The commitment was made during a high-level law and order meeting co-chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti in Quetta.

CM Bugti briefed participants on the prevailing security situation, progress in ongoing operations, and the strategy for addressing security challenges. The meeting decided to further enhance the professional capacity of the Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Force and the provincial police, while expediting previously approved reforms to strengthen the force.