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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interior minister said on Wednesday security forces had killed 13 militants in two operations in the southwestern province of Balochistan, blaming what he called “Indian-sponsored terrorists” for unrest in the region.

The news of the operations comes a day after a suicide bombing killed at least 10 people outside the headquarters of a paramilitary force in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.

Islamabad alleges that militant groups are backed by arch-rival India and neighboring Afghanistan to stoke violence in the Balochistan region where Pakistan is seeking international investments in mines and minerals, a charge New Delhi and Kabul deny. 

“Mohsin Naqvi pays tribute to the security forces on two successful operations against Indian-sponsored terrorists in Balochistan,” his ministry said in a statement. 

“The security forces, through successful operations, foiled the nefarious designs of Indian-sponsored terrorists," it added, quoting the minister.

“For the establishment of peace in Balochistan, the security forces have achieved remarkable successes against Indian-sponsored terrorists. Operations by the security forces to eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorists will continue.”

The violence in Pakistan is multi-faceted. 

Balochistan hosts a long-running separatist insurgency by militant groups protesting Islamabad’s control of local resources and demanding greater autonomy. The government says it is working for the province's development. 

Separately, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and affiliated militant groups have stepped up attacks in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since the fall of the US-backed Afghan government in 2021, using safe havens across the border to launch strikes inside Pakistan, according to Islamabad. Kabul denies the allegations. 

Balochistan is mineral-rich and home to Gwadar Port, built by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $65 billion investment in President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to expand China's global reach by road, rail and sea.

Both Taliban militants and separatist insurgents, who operate in the region, have stepped up their attacks in recent months. 

ISLAMABAD: A long-dormant oil and gas block in northwestern Pakistan is set to be revived through a new joint venture between US company Hycarbex-American Energy and Pakistani partners Mari Energies and Fatima Petroleum, the petroleum ministry said on Wednesday.

The Peshawar Block, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has remained inactive for years due to regulatory delays, security challenges and a lack of financing. Its revival is expected to help Pakistan reduce dependence on costly fuel imports, ease persistent gas shortages and unlock untapped hydrocarbon reserves critical to sustaining industrial growth and household supply.

The revival of the block also marks one of the most significant US participations in Pakistan’s upstream energy sector in recent years and is seen as a potential catalyst for wider American investment in the country’s oil, gas and minerals industries.

Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik announced the joint venture after meeting Hycarbex CEO Pierce Onthank and Mari Energies CEO Faheem Haider in Islamabad on Wednesday. 

“The commitment shown by these companies to unlock the potential of this block is commendable. It is crucial for our goal of indigenization and sustainability of fuel supplies, and we assure full support in facilitating its advancement,” Malik was quoted as saying in a statement by the petroleum ministry. 

Hycarbex CEO Onthank said the company was already working on three other exploration blocks in the country, the petroleum ministry statement said. 

“The energy opportunity in Pakistan is incredible,” he said. 

“Our company is committed to this market, and alongside our work on the Peshawar Block JV, Hycarbex-American Energy is also working on three other blocks in the country. We have done substantial investment in Pakistan. We are confident that this collaboration will yield significant results for Pakistan’s energy landscape.”

The project also aligns with the Pakistani government’s ongoing overhaul of the Directorate General of Petroleum Concessions (DGPC) to create a more efficient and investment-friendly regulatory framework aimed at attracting long-term foreign capital.

The JV comes amid a broader effort by Pakistan and the United States to deepen economic engagement, particularly in energy, minerals, trade and technology. 

Relations between the two countries have warmed under US President Donald Trump, who met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, the country’s army chief, at the White House last week in wide-ranging discussions on security as well as trade and investment.

Washington and Islamabad have also launched talks to encourage US private-sector participation in Pakistan’s economy and its energy transition.