8 Pakistan soldiers killed in Balochistan blast

An IED blast carried out by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) targeting a Pakistan army convoy in MachKachhi district on Monday killed at least eight soldiers, including a special operations commander, and injured six others.

BLA said its freedom fighters targeted the army convoy using a remote-controlled device. The blast destroyed the enemy vehicle, killing multiple personnel, it said. The Pakistan armed force’s media and public relations wing, ISPR, alleged India’s involvement in the attack, a claim that has become a recurring narrative in such incidents. “Terrorists belonging to the Indian proxy, so called Baloch Liberation Army, targeted security forces’ vehicles with an improvised explosive device in the general area Mach-Kachhi district. Resultantly, seven personnel embraced shahadat,” ISPR said.

However, according to a list of deceased released by local officials, eight personnel were killed in the attack. The army vehicle was hit between the Amir Post and the Ali Khan base in the Gestri area, according to local enforcement officers.

The attack is the latest in a series of strikes against the Pakistan army in Balochistan, highlighting the ongoing tensions in the region.
Three days ago, BLA attacked a prison van by blocking a key highway. While the prisoners were freed, five policemen were taken hostage.


‘Pak to hike def spending by 18 per cent'

Pakistan’s coalition govt has endorsed an 18% increase in defence spending to over Rs 2.5 trillion in the next budget due to tensions with India, according to a media report on Tuesday. The govt is set to unveil the 2025-26 budget in the first week of the next month ahead of the start of the new fiscal year from July 1.

The Express Tribune saidthe PPP team, headed by its chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, met PM Shehbaz Sharif and his economic team to discuss the budget on Monday. The PML-N-led govt shared the roughly Rs 17.5 trillion worth of new budget framework with PPP, which agreed to the 18% increase in defence outlay.

There was a consensus between the allies to increase the defence budget due to the recent wave of tensions with India, the newspaper said. In the current fiscal, govt allocated Rs 2,122 billion for defence. Defence sector expenses are the second biggest component of the annual expenditure after the debt payments.