New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has upped the ante against Chinese investments in the region. Direct threats are being made to people working on such projects, including contractors and engineers. This is part of the BLA’s new strategy, which aims to intimidate workers to stay away from China-linked projects in the region.
The people of Balochistan have for long complained that the Pakistan establishment is robbing the region of its legitimate rights. Balochistan is a resource-rich region, but the people have never benefited from it. Moreover, Chinese investments in the region too are not benefiting the Baloch people. All the money Pakistan makes from the region is being diverted only to the main cities, from which politicians, bureaucrats and generals benefit.
An official said that the BLA has hit Chinese investments several times in recent years. It has also engaged fiercely with the Pakistani security forces. This seems to be the latest tactic by the BLA to intimidate workers so that they panic and leave the projects they are working on in Balochistan.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the BLA would use tactics at its disposal until the voices of the people of the region are heard. A few weeks back, the BLA claimed responsibility for the ambush in Mastung district in which over a dozen Pakistani army soldiers were killed. This was yet another embarrassment for the Pakistan army as it exposed how vulnerable they are in the region.
The official explained that this is a deliberate BLA strategy by which it regularly changes its tactics to spring a surprise. At first, the complete focus was on targeting the infrastructure. Then came the sustained attacks on the security forces. Today they are indulging in intimidation of the workers, contractors and all those associated with the projects in Balochistan.
Another official said that this puts the security forces on the back foot. The problem for them is that they do not know what to expect. In the midst of this, the BLA even built a strong suicide squad comprising women. The BLA has managed to confuse the security forces, and they are unable to deploy any particular strategy owing to changing tactics by the BLA, the official also pointed out.
To beat the narrative, Pakistan even tried to bring the people of Baloch on board so that they do not align with the BLA. The people are being told that these projects are meant to benefit the region. These projects are aimed at providing economic stability and creating jobs for the people of the region, the people have been told.
Officials say that the trust that eroded long back will be extremely hard to restore. The Pakistani establishment says one thing on one hand and does exactly the opposite. For Field Marshal Asim Munir, it has also become an ego issue. While he instructs the political class to make false assurances on the other hand, he orders the massacre of the people of Balochistan, the official pointed out.
Pakistan watchers note that the road ahead for security forces would be extremely hard. The only thing that would work is to live up to the assurances that are being made to the people. The toughest job would be to deal with the BLA, which has only been growing in strength.
Moreover, they have adopted multiple strategies that have kept the security forces on their toes, as a result of which the losses that the establishment is incurring are huge, officials also note.
–IANS
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