- Bugti announces the Rs3b initiative for the laying of fiber optic cables.
- The project aimed to provide internet while monitoring usage.
- Says 12 terrorists killed in bank heist bid in Kharan.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Friday expressed concerns over internet towers located in sparsely populated areas of the province, saying such tools could be misused against the state.
Speaking to a reporter in Quetta, CM Bugti said he was surprised that places like Sangan, where there was hardly any population, had internet towers.
“When I fly over in a helicopter, 4G services are working there. Who set them up and why?” he asked, warning that activists could use them against the state and law enforcement.
The Balochistan Chief Minister also announced a Rs 3 billion initiative to lay optical fiber cables in all schools, colleges, universities and hospitals in the province.
The project, he explained, aimed to provide internet to people while monitoring its usage.
On security issues in the province, Bugti credited the Frontier Corps (FC) with neutralizing 12 terrorists during a recent operation in Kharan town.
The militants were killed while trying to loot banks, he said, adding that around 15 to 20 people tried to enter the city’s banks.
CM Bugti noted that one civilian was injured during the operation, who was being treated at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).
He added that four terrorists were killed on the spot by the police in three different locations.
The militants attempted to break into ATMs and make off with cash, with some managing to steal 3.4 million rupees from a bank, he said.
These incidents, he noted, showed how ideologically motivated individuals turned to bank robberies.
CM Bugti’s statement comes as the country has seen a notable increase in terrorist incidents since the Afghan Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021.
In 2025, law enforcement agencies in Pakistan, according to statistics revealed by Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt. General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, conducted 75,175 Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs) across the country, during which as many as 2,597 terrorists were killed.
