Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told the National Assembly on Monday that the state’s clear bottom line was that no one would be allowed to rationalize or justify violence in Pakistan particularly in the name of freedom or nationalism.
Briefing the House on the security situation in Balochistan after a large-scale terrorist attack on Saturday, defence minister said attempts to portray violence as a political or liberation movement were false and dangerous.
“When violence is dressed up as a freedom struggle, it becomes a cover to legitimize criminal activities,” he said, adding that such narratives were unacceptable.
According to the ISPR, more than 150 terrorists were killed in retaliatory operations following the attack. Asif told lawmakers that 177 terrorists were eliminated within two days while 17 security personnel and 33 civilians, mostly in Gwadar, lost their lives.
The defence minister noted that Balochistan had experienced both unrest and long periods of peace since Pakistan’s independence, and that development work had continued despite challenges.
He said that while some political grievances existed in earlier decades, the current wave of violence had lost any political character.
Asif alleged that smuggling networks, particularly those involved in illegal oil and transit trade had hijacked whatever political element once existed.
He said billions of rupees were lost daily through smuggling, and criminal groups began funding violence when the government took strict action to curb these activities.
He further claimed that terrorist leadership was operating from Afghan soil, with external support and described armed groups as criminal militias protecting illegal economic interests rather than representing public causes.
Rejecting calls for dialogue, Asif said there was no political or nationalistic identity left in these groups. “They are criminals. Talks cannot be held with them,” he stated.
He assured the House that no area of Balochistan had fallen under terrorist control, and warned that civilians including women and children, were being deliberately targeted. The defence minister urged unity across political lines, saying terrorism could only be defeated if the nation stood firmly behind its security forces and rejected all attempts to justify violence.
Read more: What Really Drives Violence in Balochistan: Facts vs Fiction
