Pakistan blames India as militant attacks surge

Pakistan has blamed India for a recent surge in militant attacks in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as the military intensified operations against armed groups and defended cross-border strikes into Afghanistan.

In the latest episode of On My Radar, Kamran Khan said militant violence had re-emerged as a major national security concern, with a sharp increase in attacks in Pakistan's two western provinces raising fresh questions about the country's security situation.

The comments came after military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said at a news conference that three militant attacks in Balochistan over the past four days had killed 42 security personnel, while security forces had killed 54 militants in retaliatory operations. He said 29 security personnel were killed on Wednesday alone.

Quoting the military, Khan said Pakistan believes the attacks were orchestrated by India and carried out using Afghan territory and Afghan nationals.

According to the program, Pakistan's military last week targeted hideouts of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar in several areas inside Afghanistan. Khan said the latest wave of militant attacks followed those strikes.

He said the cross-border operation was launched in response to repeated attacks on Pakistani security forces from across the border, including an attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi on June 27 that killed three Rangers personnel. Pakistani forces killed three attackers during the operation and arrested another militant in an injured condition.

According to Khan, the detained suspect admitted during interrogation that he had received training in Afghanistan and was affiliated with the banned TTP.

The program said the Pakistan Army had announced that intelligence-based operations under "Operation Ghazab Lil Haq" would continue against militants entering from Afghanistan.

Khan also referred to Monday's Corps Commanders Conference, where Pakistan's military accused Afghanistan's Taliban rulers of failing to prevent Indian-backed militant groups from operating from territory under their control. The forum said lasting peace and stability in the region would only be possible if the Taliban administration stopped such groups from using Afghan territory.

The program said the United States publicly supported Pakistan's right to defend itself against cross-border attacks. According to Khan, the U.S. State Department said Washington fully supports Pakistan's right to self-defense, while the White House urged Afghanistan's Taliban government to ensure its territory is not used to launch attacks against Pakistan or any other country.

The episode also featured analysis from senior journalist Ehsan Tipu Mehsud and former Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan.