Blast At Shia Mosque In Islamabad Leaves 31 Dead, Nearly 170 Injured

Christine Arab, UN Women’s regional director for Asia and the Pacific, told the Associated Press in Australia that Afghan women and girls face a continuing rollback of even their most basic rights.

She said a series of Taliban decrees have effectively rendered women and girls invisible.

“Everything from eliminating their right to education, limiting their ability to be in public spaces, to go to tertiary education, to access certain services. It is a cyclical issue,” Arab said.

Earlier, Australia’s foreign ministry allocated an additional $50 million to address the worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, said Canberra, alongside international partners, would continue legal action against the Taliban over violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. She also condemned what she described as the Taliban’s repressive policies, particularly towards women and girls.

Arab said it is essential that support for women and girls remains central to all humanitarian commitments. “This is a crucial moment for Australia to sustain its commitments,” she said.

She added that, under current conditions, the multilateral system and the international community’s commitment to human rights are more important than ever.

UN Women’s theme for 2026 is “Balance the Scales: For All Women and Girls,” promoting the message that all women and girls, regardless of background or identity, should be able to live safely, be heard and freely shape their futures.

Sadiq Khan, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, said a meeting in Islamabad brought together Pakistani officials and Chinese representatives to discuss the Quadrilateral Transit Traffic Agreement between China, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

The agreement governs the movement of goods linking Pakistan’s ports with Central Asian states via Chinese territory.
Khan said reforms now under way could make the route the most efficient corridor connecting Central Asia to Pakistan’s seaports.

Pakistan’s push to expand trade ties with Central Asian countries comes as its economic exchanges with the Taliban administration in Afghanistan remain suspended. Islamabad appears to be developing alternative routes following the closure of trade with Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s prime minister said on January 20 that Islamabad had been forced to halt all trade with Afghanistan because of what he described as Kabul’s failure to act against militant groups operating from Afghan soil.

The attacks took place in the Washuk area, near the Iran–Pakistan border. Reports said heavy clashes between security forces and the attackers were continuing.

Officials attributed the assaults to the Baloch Liberation Army, saying its fighters also raided the residence of the deputy commissioner of Washuk. About 15 militants forced their way into the house after breaking down the gate, according to officials.

Two days earlier, the group carried out coordinated explosions and attacks in several cities across Balochistan, leaving dozens dead.

Early Saturday, fighters launched coordinated assaults using firearms and explosives in more than 10 areas of the province, targeting Pakistani military and paramilitary facilities.

The group released images of the attacks showing fighters armed with US-made weapons.

Pakistan said Monday that 145 Baloch Liberation Army fighters had been killed in recent clashes.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said the bodies of the 145 militants were in government custody and that some of those killed were Afghan nationals.

He said the recent attacks across Balochistan had also killed 17 security personnel and 31 civilians.

Sarfraz Bugti told a news conference in Quetta on Sunday that the bodies of those killed were in the custody of security agencies. Pakistani media described the figure as the highest number of militants killed in such a short period since Pakistan began its campaign against militancy.

Bugti said 17 security personnel, including police, border police and a member of the Pakistan Navy, were killed in the attacks. The civilian death toll has risen to 31, he said.

Earlier, the military’s media wing said 15 security personnel and 18 civilians, including women and children, had been killed.

The separatist group known as the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Bugti said security agencies had prior intelligence and had launched preventive operations, during which about 40 militants were killed in the areas of Shaban and Panjgur.

Pakistan’s defence minister, Khawaja Asif, said security in Balochistan was under control following Saturday’s attacks and that forces were carrying out clearance operations.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have condemned the attacks. The US chargé d’affaires in Pakistan said Washington stands with Pakistan in ensuring peace and stability.

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have not issued an official response or condemnation of the attacks.

Police said insurgents also attacked a prison and freed more than 30 inmates.

Pakistani media reported that telecommunications services were suspended in Quetta, Sibi and Chaman following coordinated attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army in several areas, with some outlets saying the shutdown was ordered by provincial authorities.

The violence follows an attack on the Jaffar Express train on the Quetta–Peshawar route in March 2025 and is being described as one of the largest attacks by Baloch separatists in recent years.

According to Agence France-Presse, armed attackers carried out nearly a dozen coordinated assaults early Saturday in southern Pakistan, using firearms and hand grenades. Targets included a high-security prison, police posts and paramilitary facilities.

At the same time, the Balochistan health department declared an emergency at government hospitals across the province to treat the wounded.

Balochistan’s health minister, Bakht Muhammad Kakar, instructed health officials and hospitals to ensure immediate medical care for those injured and to closely monitor treatment. Operating theatres in Quetta health facilities were placed on high alert and additional doctors deployed, officials said.

The Baloch Liberation Army had earlier announced the launch of what it called the second phase of its campaign, referred to as “Operation Hero”. Its spokesperson, Jeeyand Baloch, described the phase as resistance against what he termed an occupying state and its military structures.

The group is banned in Pakistan and is designated a terrorist organisation by the United States.

The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in recent years. Pakistan accuses the group of receiving support from India, a charge New Delhi denies.

Pakistani officials have also said Baloch separatists, the Pakistani Taliban and other militants use Afghan territory to carry out attacks inside Pakistan, allegations rejected by Taliban authorities.

The group launched the first phase of its campaign in August 2024 as part of what it described as a multi-stage effort to “reclaim Balochistan”, claiming it killed at least 130 Pakistani security personnel and briefly seized control of highways and key facilities, including a military base.