Imran Khan’s party chairman confirms first official meeting with Pakistan army chief

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, on Saturday visited the southwestern Balochistan province after militants killed 18 Pakistani soldiers in the restive region, promising to hunt down the perpetrators of attacks on Pakistani security forces.
General Munir was given a comprehensive brief on the prevailing security situation in Balochistan during his visit, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistani military’s media wing.
He offered funeral prayers for the deceased soldiers and later inquired after the injured ones at the Combined Military Hospital in Balochistan’s provincial capital of Quetta.
“Those who are acting as terrorist proxies of their foreign masters who have mastered the art of manifesting double standards of hunting with the hound and running with the hare are well known to us. No matter what these so called ‘frenemies’ may do, you will surely be defeated by the resilience of our proud nation and its Armed Forces,” the army chief was quoted as saying by the ISPR.
“For the defense of our motherland and its people, we will definitely retaliate and ‘hunt you down,’ whenever required and wherever you may be.”

Pakistani forces suffered the casualties when they engaged militants who had erected barricades on a key highway in Balochistan’s Kalat district late on Friday night. The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the most prominent separatist groups operating in the southwestern province, claimed responsibility for the incident.
The fighting continued overnight into Saturday morning and the military said it had killed at least 23 militants in subsequent clearance operations.
Balochistan has for years been the scene of an insurgency, with several separatist groups staging attacks and targeting mainly security forces in their quest for independence. The separatists accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources. Successive Pakistani governments deny the allegations and say they have prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.

In the past, the BLA has carried out major attacks in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan, targeting security forces, ethnic Punjabis whom it considers “outsiders” in Balochistan, and Chinese interests and nationals.
More than 50 people, including security forces, were killed in August last year in a string of assaults in Balochistan that were claimed by the BLA. Last month, dozens of fighters of the separatist outfit wrested control of a small town in Khuzdar from the Levies paramilitary forces. Pakistani authorities had regained the town after hours of efforts.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy on Saturday inducted another offshore patrol vessel, PNS Yamama, into its fleet with an aim to enhance security of the country’s maritime frontiers, its Directorate General Public Relations (DGPR) said.
This is the fourth Yamama ship of the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Batch II to be inducted in Pakistan Navy fleet, which was constructed and commissioned at Damen Shipyards, Romania.
The ship was inducted at a ceremony at Pakistan Navy Dockyard in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, with Pakistan Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Abdul Munib being the Chief Guest.
“Addition of PNS YAMAMA in PN fleet will significantly enhance Pakistan Navy’s capability of safeguarding maritime frontiers of Pakistan,” Rear Admiral Munib was quoted as saying by the DGPR.
“Induction of such multipurpose state-of-the-art platforms will provide vital support to ongoing PN maritime security patrol in Indian Ocean.”
The multipurpose, highly agile medium-sized offshore patrol vessel is equipped with self-protection and terminal defense system, state-of-the-art electronic warfare, and anti-ship and anti-air warfare capabilities, according to the DGPR.
Additionally, it is capable of embarking a multirole helicopter and can operate independently or as part of a taskforce for extended durations to execute a variety of missions.
In June 2024, Pakistan Navy inducted two warships, Babur and Hunain, into its fleet, days after it assumed command of a multinational taskforce, CTF-150, responsible for ensuring maritime security in the southeastern waters of the Middle East, operating in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden.
Besides inducting various warships in its fleet, Pakistan Navy has held several joint exercises with friendly nations in recent years in a bid to enhance joint operational capabilities and strengthen regional security.
Pakistan Navy has also invited over 100 countries to the AMAN maritime exercises, scheduled to be held on Feb. 7-11, with the event including a dialogue for senior naval leaders for the first time. The exercise, held every two years, involves ships, aircraft and special operation forces.