August 26, 2024 – A wave of militant attacks has claimed the lives of more than 60 people in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, marking one of the deadliest assaults by separatist insurgents in recent years. The attacks targeted police stations, railway lines, highways, and civilian vehicles across the region, triggering retaliatory operations by security forces.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks, which are part of a long-standing insurgency seeking the secession of Balochistan, a resource-rich province home to significant China-led projects like the strategic Gwadar port and mineral extraction sites.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attacks, describing them as a calculated effort to create chaos in Pakistan. He confirmed that security forces had killed 12 militants in operations following the attacks. Pakistan’s military reported that 14 soldiers and police, along with 21 militants, were killed in subsequent clashes. The death toll also includes at least 23 civilians, who were executed after being forced off buses on a major highway.
In addition to the attacks on the roadways, militants bombed a rail bridge linking Quetta, the provincial capital, to the rest of Pakistan, as well as a rail link to neighboring Iran, disrupting rail traffic. Local authorities also discovered six unidentified bodies near the site of the railway attack.
The BLA, the largest of several insurgent groups in Balochistan, has long accused the central government of exploiting the province’s natural resources without adequately benefiting the local population. The group also opposes Chinese investments in the region and has previously targeted Chinese nationals and infrastructure projects.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed that those responsible for the attacks would be brought to justice, while security forces continue their operations in the affected areas. Despite the severity of the attacks, a meeting between Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir and General Li Qiaoming, commander of China’s People’s Liberation Army Ground Forces, focused on regional security and bilateral cooperation, without explicitly mentioning the ongoing violence in Balochistan.
