Washington, Feb 22 (IANS) The recent attacks by Baloch armed groups against Pakistan’s security forces underscore the shortcomings of Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir’s coercive state policy amid the near-total suppression of dissent across Balochistan, a report said on Sunday.
Writing for American media outlet ‘PJ Media’, Turkish journalist Uzay Bulut argued that the February 1 attack by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) exposed a Pakistani intelligence lapse in failing to preempt an attack of that scale, indicating a breakdown in the intelligence network and hinting at growing local support for armed Baloch outfits.
“Pakistan is fighting a domestic war, and the outcomes appear deadly. The province of Balochistan (in the southwestern part of Pakistan) has experienced yet another insurgency, with the appearance of a series of gun and grenade attacks that have left more than 50 people dead. In a rare admission, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the Pakistan army is ‘handicapped’ in its fight against Baloch rebels,” Bulut stated.
“On February 1, a series of gun and bomb attacks across Balochistan province killed 31 civilians and 17 security service personnel, according to the region’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) rebel group stated that it was behind the attacks, and they claimed that dozens of soldiers were killed,” she added.
Citing 2025 reports, Bulut noted that armed separatist groups in Balochistan — most particularly the BLA and its allies under the Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) alliance — have shifted from hit-and-run attacks to temporarily seizing control of towns, infrastructure, and sections of highways. This, she said, reflects the Pakistani Army’s inability to maintain a sustained presence in Balochistan.
According to the report, Balochistan has endured decades of severe human rights abuses, the systemic exploitation of local natural resources, political repression, a lack of autonomy, and confrontation with Pakistani security forces.
“This situation has fueled ethnic discontent and severe anger against the Pakistani government. Local Baloch activists state that Pakistan’s government keeps them poor while looting regional wealth. In response, instead of recognising the Baloch right to self-rule, Pakistan’s security establishment violently suppresses the Baloch, engaging in acts such as enforced disappearances,” it mentioned.
The report highlighted that over the past two decades, tens of thousands of ethnic Baloch people, including students, activists, and professionals, have been subjected to enforced disappearances by Pakistani security forces.
“The victims are frequently denied access to legal representation, held incommunicado, and subjected to torture, inhumane treatment, or even extrajudicial execution. Although some return after years, they are traumatised and broken. Many never return. Others are found in unmarked graves, their bodies so disfigured that they cannot be identified,” it stated.
–IANS
scor/vd
