Security forces are doing brave and necessary work. The recent operations in Kharan and Khuzdar demonstrate the seriousness of the campaign against terrorism. Seven militants were killed in Kharan and another 10 in Khuzdar.
According to officials, they were involved in extortion, kidnapping, targeted killings and preparations for suicide attacks. Removing such threats before they can strike saves innocent lives. Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 3 is therefore a necessary step and deserves national support.
These militants do not operate in isolation. Officials have repeatedly alleged that groups described as Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan receive external support, including from India. If so, the challenge goes beyond ordinary law and order. It becomes a question of national security and sovereignty.
But bullets and operations alone cannot solve the problem. The numbers tell a sobering story. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan together accounted for nearly 96 per cent of all violence-related deaths in the country during the second quarter of 2026.
Such a concentration of violence cannot be addressed through military means alone. It demands sustained political attention as well.
The government must therefore look beyond security operations. People in these provinces need jobs, functioning schools and hospitals, credible political representation and a meaningful voice in decision-making. Years of neglect and mistrust have created spaces that militant groups can exploit to recruit disaffected young men.
Corrective political measures, honest engagement with local communities and equitable development spending must accompany all military campaigns. None of this diminishes the necessity of confronting terrorists with force. It simply recognises that counterterrorism succeeds most decisively when militants are denied not only territory, but also the grievances and alienation they seek to exploit.
Security forces can win battles on the ground. Lasting peace in Balochistan and KP, however, will come only when the state also succeeds in winning the confidence of its own people.
