The latest casualties have taken the total tally of terrorists killed during the operation to 91.

State media further reported that 129 terrorists had been killed in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations in the province since July 5.

“Security sources say Operation Shaban will continue in Balochistan until the last terrorist is eliminated,” Radio Pakistan reported.

The operation was launched after the martyrdom of 27 police personnel in an attack by terrorists at a police post in the Mangi dam area. Nine police personnel were killed on the spot, while 18 others were killed by the terrorists after being kidnapped.

Troops from the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) and police are participating in the joint operation.

Balochistan has been facing terrorism for a long time, with a monthly security assessment released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) stating that after two consecutive months of improvement, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The report said Balochistan emerged as the most affected province during the month. The province recorded 71 terrorist attacks, compared with 34 in April, representing a 109 per cent increase.

The deteriorating security situation was further reflected in a surge in kidnappings, it said. Of the 54 abductions reported nationwide during May, 52 occurred in Balochistan alone, highlighting the growing operational reach and confidence of terrorist groups in the province, it said.

Last week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the country’s civil and military leadership had taken a “mutual and singular decision” to end terrorism after multiple major terrorist incidents in Balochistan.

He made the remarks at a meeting in Quetta of the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan, with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir also present.

Chairing the meeting, PM Shehbaz declared, “One thing is decided: it is a mutual and singular decision of the civil and military leadership that we must end terrorism collectively.”

PM Shehbaz’s statement came a day after the military Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry addressed a press conference, pointing the finger squarely at India and Afghanistan for being behind recent attacks in Balochistan.

He specifically mentioned “three major terrorist incidents” in recent days — an armed attack on the outskirts of Quetta on July 5, an assault on a police post in Ziarat on July 6, and an ambush of an army convoy in Bela on July 7.

Wangchuk, a well-known public figure in India and among international water conservation circles, is known for innovations such as the ice stupa, which communities in Pakistan’s Baltistan region have also sought to replicate. He is a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as Asia’s Nobel Prize. Last year, he was invited to speak at Dawn’s Breathe conference.

“His coming aboard has given our cause a huge boost,” said Dahiya and explained how the online satirical political movement, founded on 16 May 2026, emerged in response to remarks by Justice Surya Kant, a judge of the Supreme Court of India, likening unemployed youth to “cockroaches.” Since then, it has gained momentum while campaigning against examination scandals, unemployment and other governance issues.

The protest at Jantar Mantar began on 20 June with a demand for the resignation of the Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, following the leak of question papers for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), India’s highly competitive medical college entrance examination, which was subsequently cancelled.

“Paper leaks have been recurring for years,” he said. “In fact, according to our records, 22 disillusioned students committed suicide following this year’s NEET paper leak,” he said, adding, “The count is much higher over the years.”

Natasha Badhwar, a filmmaker and author, met Wangchuk with a group of journalists. “He told us not to save him or ask him to stop his hunger strike and instead put the same energy into the cause and press the government to listen to the demands of the youth.”

Dahiya said many young people are participating in the hunger strike alongside “Sonam Sir” since the protest began and while some gave up after their health deteriorated, others are still carrying on. “Overall, around 30 people have participated in the hunger strike, and even more are observing it for different durations from their homes,” he said.

“It is the Indian way of non-violent protest,” said Badhwar, tracing the tradition back to Mahatma Gandhi. “Others have also undertaken hunger strikes—during the anti-dam movements, for instance, or in protest against corruption,” she said.

The longest such protest was by environmentalist Professor G.D. Agrawal (Swami Sanand), who undertook a hunger strike in 2018 to demand stronger protection for the Ganges. He died on October 11, that year, on the 111th day of his fast, at the age of 86.

If the hunger strike echoed a long tradition of moral protest, the gathering at Jantar Mantar reflected its contemporary expression.

“To be out there in a space that was hot, smelly, noisy, crowded and packed, and yet feel completely safe—that feeling was palpable,” said the filmmaker, describing the sense of solidarity she experienced at Delhi’s traditional venue for public protests.

At the same time, she describes it as a “sensory onslaught” — with smells, banners, security personnel, television cameras, people taking selfies, familiar faces at every turn and new acquaintances being made.

“That’s how protest sites are in this part of the world,” said Badhwar.

“We’ve constantly been announcing and appealing to people to set an example and remain peaceful, egalitarian, giving examples of Gandhiji and [B.R.] Ambedkar; and people have listened!” said Dahiya, adding that there had not been a single reported incident of misconduct towards women.

Badhwar agreed. Despite attracting thousands of visitors and hosting food stalls, the protest site has remained remarkably orderly and safe, despite having been in place for almost a month through the relentless Indian summer.

She also found positive energy through “street theatre, performances, lectures, people sitting together in conversation and journalists conducting interviews”. Seeing young people and ordinary citizens come together, she said, created an atmosphere of shared purpose and hope. “It was a spectacle of democracy at work,” she said, and added, “And it was deeply reassuring.”

It also reminded her of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2020, she said. “Because so much of our public conversation now happens online, people have stopped coming together physically in this way.”

The protest has drawn not just ordinary citizens but well-known public figures and politicians. The only ones conspicuous by their absence are the state representatives.

“Not a single government official has come to us,” said Dahiya.

Describing the non-violent protest as “a desperate measure in desperate times,” Badhwar said she understood the need to remain in the public imagination, particularly when neither the mainstream media nor the government appeared to be paying much attention.

For now, all eyes are on July 20, when members of the CJP will march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament, where lawmakers will be in session.

“I don’t know how many people will actually march with us,” said Dahiya. “We’ve asked those who want to join to register by giving us a missed call and based on those responses that we have received so far, we’re expecting several thousand participants. But we’ll only know the actual numbers when the march begins.”

Badhwar views the planned march with some trepidation, drawing on her experience of past street protests. “There is a possibility that they could be pushed back by opposing forces,” she said. “If that happens, there is always the risk of violence.”

She recalled that during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, many first-time women protesters were detained by law enforcement agencies and, according to activists, some remain imprisoned on what they describe as trumped-up charges.

If there is one thing the CJP is determined about, it is maintaining non-violence. “There will be no vandalism and no violence,” Dahiya said firmly. “It will be nothing like what happened in Nepal, Bangladesh or even Sri Lanka. India will show to the world that peaceful resistance can bring in change.”