Amid heightened military tensions on its eastern border with India following the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, Pakistan continues to face unrelenting internal security challenges. In Balochistan, the country’s largest and most resource-rich province, armed insurgents have escalated their offensive against the Pakistani state. Over the past week alone, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA)—the foremost Baloch secessionist group—carried out two deadly attacks in Bolan and Kech, killing 14 security personnel. On May 10, the group announced the launch of 39 coordinated attacks across multiple locations. The timing of these operations—during Pakistan’s external military engagement—underscores how Baloch militants exploit moments of national vulnerability, exposing deep-rooted internal fissures.
The resurgence and growing sophistication of Baloch armed groups, reflected in their operational capacity, tactical acumen, and narrative-building, is a direct consequence of longstanding failures in Pakistan’s strategy to address the region’s grievances. Despite Balochistan’s wealth of natural resources—including copper, gold, coal, and natural gas—it remains the country’s most impoverished province, with a multidimensional poverty index of 71.2%. Decades of political marginalization, systemic discrimination, and chronic underdevelopment have left Balochistan languishing at the bottom of national rankings in infrastructure, education, and healthcare.
Repeated cycles of insurgency since the province’s controversial annexation in 1948 have been met predominantly with militarized crackdowns. Instead of pursuing an inclusive, developmental approach to address socio-political grievances, the Pakistani state has relied on heavy-handed tactics, effectively enacting collective punishment on the Baloch population. Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and custodial torture remain rampant and are carried out with near-total impunity. Voices of dissent are swiftly branded as seditious, inviting further repression.
Beyond its internal security dimension, the Balochistan conflict bears significant consequences for Pakistan’s foreign policy and regional posture. The persistent insurgency imposes substantial economic costs on an already fragile economy and undermines foreign investor confidence. Most notably, it casts a long shadow over Pakistan’s strategic partnership with China, particularly in relation to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Gwadar Port, a critical node of CPEC, lies in Balochistan. Local opposition to Chinese activities stems from multiple factors: the influx of non-Baloch workers, perceived exploitation of natural resources, displacement of local fishermen by Chinese trawlers, and ecological degradation caused by infrastructure projects. Resentment has manifested in repeated attacks on Chinese workers and infrastructure, straining bilateral relations. Beijing has reportedly considered deploying private security firms to protect its interests, while Islamabad has further militarized the province, compounding local alienation.
Balochistan’s geopolitics also intersect with Pakistan’s fraught relations with Afghanistan and Iran. The return of the Afghan Taliban in 2021 complicated ties, as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—a group closely aligned with the Taliban—resurfaced with renewed vigor, launching offensives not only in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also expanding its footprint into Balochistan. Allegations of Taliban support for the TTP have been consistently denied by Kabul, exacerbating mistrust. Meanwhile, the shared Baloch populations straddling the Iran-Pakistan border fuel tensions with Tehran. Both states periodically accuse each other of harboring Baloch separatists, leading to confrontations such as the tit-for-tat cross-border strikes in January last year.
Compounding these challenges, Pakistan persistently accuses India of clandestine support for Baloch insurgents—an allegation categorically denied by New Delhi. Regardless of veracity, the narrative deepens the existing mistrust between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The Baloch issue thus sits at the nexus of Pakistan’s domestic fragility and its regional entanglements, with ramifications spanning South Asia, West Asia, and Central Asia. Domestically, it is an existential security challenge; internationally, it undermines Pakistan’s political credibility and economic attractiveness. Given the growing operational capabilities of Baloch militant groups, and their potential collaborations with transnational terrorist networks, a recalibration of strategy is imperative.
Addressing the root causes of Baloch alienation—political exclusion, economic exploitation, and systematic repression—must be prioritized. Islamabad should engage constructively with emerging peaceful Baloch resistance movements rather than suppressing them. A transparent and inclusive reconciliation process, centered on justice and accountability for decades of state abuses, is essential. Only a holistic, people-centered approach can stem the tide of insurgency and stabilize Balochistan, securing both Pakistan’s internal coherence and its standing in an increasingly complex regional landscape.

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