Pakistan preparing major offensive against Balochistan separatists
Al Jazeera
The military has not elaborated on the details of the operation, which comes after a series of deadly attacks.
Pakistan has announced a “comprehensive military operation” against separatist groups in the restive southwestern province of Balochistan, which has seen a surge of deadly attacks in recent months.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif led a meeting on Tuesday of political and military leaders, and gave the go-ahead for the operation, his office said in a statement.
Neither Sharif’s office nor the military would divulge details about the operation, or say whether it will include ground or air strikes, or whether parts of it will be conducted in cooperation with China or Iran.
China has been pushing for measures to protect its citizens after they were targeted in a spate of attacks, and on Tuesday unveiled a plan for joint counterterrorism exercises in Pakistan.
Asked on Wednesday if China is involved in Pakistan’s plan, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian did not directly comment, only saying Beijing “is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation” to the benefit of both countries.
