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The federal government on Saturday ordered all state institutions to refer to militant groups operating in its restive Balochistan province as “Fitna al Hindustan”, accusing India of sponsoring a proxy war through these insurgents.
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior on Saturday, the move stems from “the involvement of some organizations and groups in terrorist activities in Balochistan, which are detrimental to Islamic faith, the sovereignty of Pakistan, and its customary traditions.”
The notification further stated that the new designation is intended to reflect “the true nature and ideology” of these groups and their “nefarious designs” allegedly sponsored by India.
Read more: Pakistan labels TTP as ‘Fitna al-Khawarij’ to expose its true ideology
“All government entities are directed to start the above practice immediately,” the notification said, underscoring a concerted effort to reframe the narrative around insurgent violence in the province.
The announcement came as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused India of escalating indirect aggression after what he described as its defeat in a recent security operation dubbed “Marka-e-Haq”.
Accuding India of intensifying a proxy terrorism campaign in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, he said, “India, after suffering strategic setbacks, has resorted to indirect aggression”. “But Pakistan will thwart all such nefarious designs and stand resolute against Fitna al Hindustan and its proxies.”
A day earlier, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir had also addressed the ongoing unrest in Balochistan, stating that insurgent groups there were not indigenous but rather acting on behalf of foreign interests.
“These terrorists are not Baloch. They are agents of disruption sponsored by India,” the army chief said, reiterating the armed forces’ stance that separatist violence in the province is externally instigated.
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The government’s decision to adopt a new label for Balochistan-based insurgents mirrors a similar move last year, when the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was officially designated “Fitna al-Khawarij”.
At that time, the Ministry of Interior said the term “Khariji” was chosen to expose what it described as the TTP’s misrepresentation of Islam.
