KARACHI, Pakistan

At least 145 militants and another 48 people, including 17 law enforcement personnel, were killed in a series of clashes between security forces and terrorists in several parts of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province over the past 40 hours, a top official said on Sunday.

Speaking at a news conference in the provincial capital of Quetta, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said that 17 law enforcement personnel, including a navy troop, were killed in clashes with militants who carried out coordinated attacks at 12 locations on Saturday.

Another 31 civilians, including women and children, were killed by militants, he added, noting that the latest militant casualties were the highest in a single day since the country began its "war on terror."

The attacks took place in the Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar, and Pasni districts.

The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which has long been involved in attacks on security forces across the mineral-rich province, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the brazen attacks.

Pakistan has seen a renewed surge in militant violence in recent years, particularly in its western and southwestern regions.

Islamabad accuses archrival India of being involved in the prolonged unrest in Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a charge New Delhi denies.

BLA and some other militant groups have long been fighting for the "independence" of Balochistan, which makes up 42% of Pakistan in terms of land.

Bugti further said that some 1,500 militants were killed in security operations across Balochistan last year.