Balochistan Attacks Leave 73 Dead Amid Rising Tensions in Pakistan
At least 73 people lost their lives in Balochistan, Pakistan, following a series of violent attacks by separatist militants. The assaults targeted police stations, highways, and railway lines, prompting swift retaliatory operations by security forces, officials reported on Monday.
These incidents mark one of the most extensive offensives in recent years by ethnic militants, who have long sought independence for the resource-rich southwestern province. Balochistan is home to significant China-led projects, including a port and a gold and copper mine. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the attacks as a “well thought-out plan to create anarchy in Pakistan.”
The military reported that 14 soldiers and police officers, along with 21 militants, were killed during intense fighting after the largest attack, which targeted buses and trucks on a major highway. Balochistan’s Chief Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, confirmed that 38 civilians also lost their lives, with 23 of them being killed in a brutal roadside attack. Armed men reportedly checked passengers’ identification before shooting them and setting vehicles ablaze. “People were taken off buses and killed in front of their families,” Bugti said during a televised press conference.
Rail traffic to Quetta was halted following explosions on a rail bridge linking the provincial capital to the rest of Pakistan. Militants also struck a rail link to neighboring Iran, according to railways official Muhammad Kashif. Six unidentified bodies were found near the site of the attack on the railway bridge.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an armed militant group, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which they dubbed “Haruf” or “dark windy storm.” They also claimed additional attacks over the past day, though these have not been confirmed by authorities. The group stated that four suicide bombers, including a woman from the southern port district of Gwadar, were involved in an attack on the Bela paramilitary base. However, Pakistani authorities have not confirmed the suicide blasts, and the provincial chief minister noted that three people were killed at the base.
The BLA is the largest of several ethnic insurgent groups in Balochistan, accusing the central government of exploiting the province’s gas and mineral resources while its people remain in poverty. The group demands the expulsion of Chinese interests and independence for Balochistan.
Monday’s attacks coincided with the anniversary of the death of Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti, who was killed by Pakistan’s security forces in 2006. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed that security forces would retaliate and bring those responsible to justice.
Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced plans for more intelligence-based operations to eliminate militants, hinting at the possibility of curtailing mobile data services to disrupt militant communications. “They launch attacks, film it, and then share it on social media for propaganda,” he explained.
Although General Li Qiaoming, commander of China’s People’s Liberation Army Ground Forces, met with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir on Monday, a statement released after the meeting did not mention the attacks.
The European Union also condemned the attacks, with spokesperson Nabila Massrali expressing the EU’s stance.
In a particularly harrowing incident on Sunday night, armed men blocked a highway, forced passengers off vehicles, and shot them after checking their identity cards. According to Senior Superintendent of Police Ayub Achakzai, as many as 35 vehicles were set on fire in the Musakhail area.
“The armed men not only killed passengers but also the drivers of trucks carrying coal,” said Hameed Zahir, deputy commissioner of the area. Militants have previously targeted workers from Pakistan’s Punjab province, accusing them of exploiting Balochistan’s resources. They have also attacked Chinese interests and citizens in the province, where China operates the deepwater port of Gwadar and a gold and copper mine.
The BLA stated that its fighters targeted military personnel traveling in civilian clothes, while Pakistan’s interior ministry maintained that the victims were innocent citizens.
In another attack, six security personnel, three civilians, and one tribal elder were killed when militants stormed a Balochistan Levies station in the central district of Kalat. Police stations in two southern coastal towns were also attacked, though the toll from these incidents has yet to be confirmed.
