Pakistan is now suffering the consequences of what it sowed for India, read the story of Balochistan terrorist attack

New Delhi: Separatists have again created terror in Pakistan’s Balochistan, in which 38 people were killed. This attack was carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which wants to create a separate country. BLA targeted the people of Punjab because they believe that Punjabi people dominate the army. 14 soldiers and policemen were also killed in this incident. BLA has also attacked the Chinese project and asked Beijing to leave Balochistan.

Such a big attack in Pakistan after many years

The attacks in Balochistan on August 25-26 were one of the biggest attacks in many years. The attackers targeted police stations, railway lines and vehicles on the highway. Most of those killed in this attack were people from Punjab. According to the Pakistani army, 14 soldiers and policemen were killed in retaliation and 21 terrorists were also killed.

Chinese projects were also targeted

Balochistan has several Chinese projects underway, including a strategic port and a gold and copper mine. Pakistan’s Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement that the attacks were a well-planned conspiracy to spread chaos in Pakistan. The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which seeks to create a separate independent nation, claimed responsibility for the operation, which it called “Haruf” or “strong dark storm.”

Attacked after being taken off buses

August 26 was the death anniversary of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti, who was killed by Pakistan security forces in 2006. In the first incident, at least 23 people from Pakistan’s Punjab province were killed in a target killing in Musakhel district after gunmen forced them off buses and checked their identities. According to Musakhel Assistant Commissioner Najeeb Kakar, around 10 heavily armed men blocked the inter-state highway in the district’s Rarashaam area and forced passengers off several buses. The militants also set several vehicles on fire.

Terrorist attacks increased rapidly in Pakistan

People were targeted after checking their IDs

Musakhel is about 450 km northeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. The insurgents regularly target people from Punjab province, alleging that Punjabis dominate the armed forces that are fighting militants in the state. Senior police superintendent Ayub Khoso said the passengers were asked to get off the buses and were shot after they were identified. he/she said most of those killed were from southern Punjab and some from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suggesting they were killed because of their ethnic background.

Many security personnel also died

In another incident, officials said 11 people were killed in Balochistan’s Kalat, including five civilians and six security personnel. Kalat is 150 km south of Quetta and is mainly inhabited by Baloch tribes. Rail connectivity to Quetta was also disrupted after the blasts on a railway bridge linking the provincial capital with the rest of Pakistan. Railway official Muhammad Kashif said militants also targeted rail links with neighbouring Iran.

BLA took responsibility for both the incidents

The BLA said the attack on a key paramilitary base involved four suicide bombers, including a woman from the southern port district of Gwadar, though Pakistani officials have not yet confirmed that attack. Sunday night’s highway attack was reminiscent of an incident in April, when gunmen killed nine people after hijacking a bus. The same attackers had earlier killed two people and wounded six others in another car they forced to stop. The BLA claimed responsibility for both incidents.

A few months ago also seven people were murdered

In May this year, gunmen shot dead seven people, all from the eastern Punjab province. Although Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest state, it is the most sparsely populated, made up largely of high mountains. It is also home to the Baloch minority, whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government, a factor that has fueled a separatist insurgency seeking independence. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (PTI), a separate Islamist militant group, also operates in the region.

The terror of BLA is continuously increasing

The government says it has largely crushed the violence, but attacks continue in raids and counter-attacks by security forces. The main player is the BLA, designated as a terrorist organization by both Pakistan and the United States. It opposes the Pakistani government and seeks a sovereign state that includes areas of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. The BLA targets security forces in Balochistan and sometimes in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and the economic hub of Sindh province.

Support for Pakistani Taliban

The BLA is backed by the Pakistani Taliban, which ended a ceasefire with the government in November 2022 and ordered its fighters to resume attacks on the army. Abdullah Khan of Islamabad told The Associated Press that the BLA was operating in the province with the support of other groups. Last December, the leader of another insurgent group said he/she had surrendered to authorities along with about 70 of his/her followers. Sarfraz Bungulzai of the Baloch National Army expressed regret over his/her role in the kidnapping of civilians for ransom and the killing of unarmed people.

Fighters have to roam freely on Iran and Pakistan border

The volatile relationship between Iran and Pakistan further exacerbates insecurity and instability. They share a 900-km-long, largely lawless border where smugglers and fighters move freely. Insurgencies on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border have frustrated both countries. Their governments suspect each other of supporting or at least tolerating some of the groups operating across the border. Separatists, usually from the BLA, carry out small-scale attacks on security forces and installations, with the death toll in single digits. But the coordination and tactics in the latest attacks reveal greater ambition, defiance and brutality. The BLA had warned people to stay away from highways before the attacks. It usually does not give notice.

It is easy for terrorists to gather fighters

Khan said the BLA was getting better at mobilising fighters in different regions and its strength was also constantly growing. Officials estimate the BLA has about 3,000 fighters. Islamabad-based security analyst Syed Muhammad Ali said the recent killings were an attempt to harm the state economically, as the weakening of Balochistan meant the weakening of Pakistan. Ali said that while the insurgent attacks are aimed at preventing people from outside the region from travelling, doing business or working in the state, they also make life difficult for the Baloch by discouraging investment and disrupting the flow of goods and services.

Thousands of people protested last month against police violence, internet shutdowns and highway closures, the timing of which was aimed at thwarting Pakistan’s efforts to project the state as a safe haven for international investment, especially by China. Large-scale Chinese-led projects are also causing unrest, as separatists accuse the Pakistani government of unfairly exploiting oil and mineral-rich Balochistan at the expense of local people. Pakistan is home to thousands of Chinese workers, most of them involved in Beijing’s multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that links South and Central Asia with Chinese capital.