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BLA’s connections with al-Qaeda, TTP fuelling terrorism in Balochistan
The proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has links to al-Qaeda and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) which is still promoting terrorism, sabotage and destabilisation of the society in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan.
The nexus offers finance, training, weaponry and logistical assistance, enabling the group to use vulnerable local women and youth as instruments for suicide bombings and other anti-state actions.
Senior security officials have repeatedly said that this support from al-Qaeda and TTP has drastically improved the operational capacities of BLA to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other national development projects, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti told the Senate.
The government has said repeatedly that the main backers of the BLA-TTP nexus are al-Qaeda and TTP and that they do this through Afghan territory by attacking people, infrastructure and security forces.
Afghanistan continues to be a crucial refuge for BLA operatives where they train and plan before infiltrating into Pakistan across the border. This cross-border infrastructure allows the movement of facilitators, recruits and suicide bombers.
The foreign-orchestrated network depends mainly on the systematic exploitation of Baloch women and girls. Security operations have regularly caught instances when vulnerable girls were being radicalised, trained and deployed for suicide attacks.
In one case, security authorities in Khuzdar held Laiba (also known as Farzana), a would-be suicide bomber indoctrinated through a network linked to BLA-affiliated commanders and people such as Dr Sabiha, who target financially weak girls through psychological manipulation and pressure. Laiba had been requested to recruit other young women for similar missions.
In a further case, the confessional testimony of Raheema Bibi showed how her husband aided a BLF-linked female suicide bomber Zarina Rafiq. The woman was held at their home before being taken to Afghanistan for training and later carried out an attack on a Frontier Corps camp.
Sindh authorities also thwarted a scheme involving a minor Baloch girl who was groomed through social media by BLA handlers for a suicide strike in Karachi. The teenager later issued a public warning that such acts are against Baloch cultural values that safeguard women’s dignity.
A methodology has been discovered that marks the ideological radicalisation through certain activist platforms followed by recruiting, training in Afghanistan and operational deployment by BLA. Connected networks sometimes turn to “missing persons” narratives to hide militant links when plans go awry.
The BLA has conducted out multiple operations against security forces, Chinese workers, schools, and industrial infrastructure in cooperation with TTP elements and Al-Qaeda.
Security forces have intelligence based operations with backing from local populations. Zero tolerance for terrorism but at the same time rehabilitation and de-radicalization processes for misinformed persons, particularly women and youth.
The government has been consistently asking the parents to keep a check on the internet activities as social media is a huge channel for radicalisation besides the officials pushing for an international action against states utilising proxies for destabilising Pakistan.
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Sindh rules out MQM rally on Shahrah-e-Faisal, says Sharjeel Memon
— Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will not be allowed to hold a rally at Shahrah-e-Faisal.
Memon told reporters after the Sindh Cabinet meeting that political parties should get permission from the relevant authorities and hold rallies peacefully and in accordance with the law. He said that no political party is allowed to hold rallies on King Faisal Day.
Memon said that the government will not allow an incident like May 12 to recur. He added that all political parties are free to conduct political activities within the scope of the constitution and law, but no political party can impose its decisions on the government. He said the government would not allow confrontation or riots. The senior minister said that the Pakistan People’s Party and the Sindh government have made their position clear on provincial autonomy and provincial rights. He said that no law or decision could supersede the Sindh Assembly, which had already taken a decision on the matter, stressing that the constitution and laws should prevail.
Memon said the cabinet had approved reducing the release price of government wheat from Rs5,000 to Rs4,500 per 40 kilograms. He said the new price had begun lowering flour prices by Rs17 per kilogram. The Cabinet also approved the registration of Lady Dufferin Hospital Trust under the Sindh Trusts Act, 2020.
It approved additional funds of Rs 50,240,000 for five development projects in Jamshoro district and Rs 299,300,000 for improvement of water supply and drainage scheme in Nawabshah city Shaheed Benazirabad district. Memon said a Cabinet committee has been constituted to resolve the issues related to Kutch abadis and formulate laws and proposals for single window operations.
He added that strict measures are being taken to ensure the enforcement of traffic rules. To improve the traffic system of the city, a traffic management authority would be established and a smart traffic management system would be implemented in Karachi.
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Iran war played a role in Republicans’ losses in midterm elections, admits Trump
President Donald Trump acknowledged that the war in Iran played a role in Republican losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections, as Democrats prepare to take control of both the US House and Senate and challenge his legislative agenda.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said Democrats would send legislation to his desk that he considered “insane” and he would veto it. “They’re going to send some crazy stuff and I’m going to veto them,” he said. “After months of vetoes, they’ll call and say, ‘How do we get this done?’ We will work together.”
Trump said the Iran war has put pressure on Republican candidates, even as voters support his handling of the war. “I think part of it is Iran, but also people understand the importance of what I’m doing with Iran,” he said.
Protesters gather outside the White House to cheer the results of the midterm elections on November 4, 2026 in Washington, USA. – Reuters
Protesters gather outside the White House to cheer midterm election results in Washington, DC, the United States, on November 4, 2026. — Reuters
His remarks came as Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, sweeping victories that cut into Republican strongholds as tens of thousands of voters lashed out at Trump. The size and breadth of the Democratic wave remains a focus, but the party has been winning in states long considered out of reach, including conservative strongholds like South Carolina, Texas and Iowa.
The Democratic surge reflects voters’ deep disillusionment with Trump’s economy and his February decision to go to war with Iran, which has sent natural gas prices soaring. In poll after poll, voters express dismay at the cost of living and anger at Trump’s handling of the issue.
In Kansas, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat since the Great Depression nearly a century ago.
In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown claimed a seat that belonged to Vice President JD Vance two years ago, while Texas Democratic state Representative James Talarico withstood a barrage of outside spending to defeat scandal-plagued Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both Ohio and Texas voted for Trump by a double-digit margin in 2024. In South Carolina, which Trump won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated Republican Sen. Darlene Graham, who was appointed to the state after the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Despite their clearly defined responsibilities, Trump promoted Paxton and Graham as better candidates. Paxton has been at the center of many controversies, including his 2023 impeachment and securities fraud charges, while Graham’s admitted lack of experience has drawn negative headlines.
Trump campaigned heavily for Paxton, Graham and Ohio Rep. John Husted in a late-election rally that included more than two dozen rallies, with the president repeatedly urging supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” in an effort to fire up his base. On Tuesday night, as it became clear that Republicans were in danger of losing their majority in Congress, Trump wrote on social media: “I was not at the polls, if I had been we would have won by a landslide! Thanks for the attention.”
Democrats picked up six GOP Senate seats and won a majority, though they failed to hold on to the hotly contested states of Michigan and Minnesota.
Democrats are also poised to take control of the US House of Representatives after picking up at least eight Republican seats in states including Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina, flexing their muscles even in deeply conservative districts. The party’s dominance extends to other ethnic groups as well. Three-term Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lost to Democrat Gina Hinojos, who also won governorships in conservative Iowa and Ohio. Winner says it’s a condemnation of Trump
“In a broad and decisive victory, the American people condemned the depravity, corruption and incompetence of President Donald Trump,” Georgia’s eventual winner, Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, told supporters at a victory party. In Florida, Republican Sen. Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon, but only by about 3 points in a state where Trump leads by 13 points in 2024, according to data compiled by Reuters and USA Today, showing that even staunchly Republican states are shifting rapidly to Democrats.
Democrats held on to three Florida House districts that were redrawn by Republican lawmakers earlier this year, all of which gave Trump support of at least 9 percentage points. Half of voters nationwide said they saw the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to reprimand the president, and three-quarters said they were “angry” or “disappointed” with the way the country is headed, according to polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of U.S. media outlets including major television networks and the Associated Press.
Additionally, 70% of voters said they want Congress to give the president more checks and balances.
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Joint meeting of opposition parties to be held in Islamabad today
A joint meeting of the opposition parties will be held in Islamabad at 5 pm today,
The meeting will be held at the residence of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) Ameer Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar, PTI leader Asad Qaisar, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai will also attend the meeting.
The participants of the meeting will review the current political situation of the country and other important matters.
They will also discuss the opposition’s activities inside the parliament and the resolution of internal differences. The meeting will discuss future courses of action to reduce political tension.
The release of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan will also be discussed during the meeting.
Sources said that invitations had been sent to all opposition leaders.
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