Army major martyred in Gwadar IED attack, four terrorists eliminated in Kalat operation: ISPR

An officer of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom and four terrorists were killed during targeted counter-terrorism operations conducted in Balochistan’s Kalat and Gwadar districts, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Monday, October 19.

How did the counter-terrorism operations in Kalat and Gwadar unfold?

According to the military’s media wing, intelligence agencies identified multiple militant hideouts belonging to the Indian-backed proxy network designated as "Fitna Al Hindustan" across Jattakabad in Kalat district and the Shadi Kaur area in Pasni tehsil of Gwadar district, where armed elements were posing imminent security threats to local civilian populations.

Acting on precise intelligence, security forces launched a raid in Jattakabad, Kalat, on October 18. Troops engaged the militant position, resulting in an intense firefight that eliminated four terrorists. Troops recovered a substantial cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives from the compound.

In a concurrent operation, troops carried out clearance sweeps in Shadi Kaur, Pasni. During the advance, the lead component—personally commanded by 34-year-old Major Wajahat Waheed, a resident of Lahore—was targeted by an improvised explosive device (IED). Major Waheed embraced martyrdom on the spot while leading his personnel from the front.

How does the military's Azm-e-Istehkam campaign address regional militancy?

The ISPR emphasized that extensive sanitization operations remain active across both districts to hunt down remaining elements and secure surrounding civilian corridors. The armed forces reaffirmed that counter-terrorism actions authorized under the vision of Azm-e-Istehkam—approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan (NAP)—will proceed with full vigor to neutralize foreign-sponsored proxy networks attempting to disrupt regional peace and economic infrastructure.

The encounter follows a series of expanded intelligence-based raids across southwestern Balochistan, where law enforcement and military units have stepped up joint sweeps to dismantle transit routes and logistics cells tied to militant networks.

Funeral prayers for Major Wajahat Waheed will be offered with full military honors before burial in his native Lahore.