QUETTA , PAKISTAN - The government of Pakistan’s Balochistan province says it has conducted more than 60,000 counterterrorism operations and killed more than 1,000 suspected terrorists as part of efforts to improve security in the troubled region.

Senior provincial officials announced the figures at a news conference on Tuesday, saying the government had passed 18 laws, established 17 institutions and departments, and spent more than 14 billion Pakistani rupees ($50m) on counterterrorism measures.

The initiatives were undertaken under Pakistan’s National Action Plan, Counterterrorism Policy and Provincial Action Plan, officials said.

Provincial Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, Chief Minister’s Adviser on Media and Political Affairs Shahid Rind, and Additional Chief Secretary Home Hamza Shafqaat jointly briefed reporters on the government’s security measures.

Shafqaat said the provincial government had introduced a series of measures over the past two years to implement the three counterterrorism frameworks.

The Counter-Terrorism Department alone had killed 250 suspected militants and arrested another 250 suspects, officials said.

They added that 101 police personnel and approximately 200 members of other law enforcement agencies had been killed, alongside 551 civilians, in violence linked to terrorism.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, has experienced a prolonged security crisis involving armed separatist groups and other armed organisations. The province is strategically important because of its mineral resources, its borders with Afghanistan and Iran, and its access to the Arabian Sea.

Officials said security measures had also been introduced along key highways, including the Quetta-Rakhni, Quetta-Karachi and Quetta-Taftan routes, which are important for transport and trade.

They expressed confidence that the security situation would improve over the next three to four months.