Separatist militants launched a series of attacks on police stations, railway lines, and vehicles on highways in Pakistan's Balochistan province, resulting in the deaths of at least 39 people, according to officials on Monday. This marks the most extensive assault by ethnic insurgents in years. The militants have been waging a decades-long insurgency demanding the secession of the resource-rich southwestern province, which is home to several major China-led projects including a strategic port and a gold and copper mine.
The most significant attack involved targeting vehicles ranging from buses to goods trucks on a major highway, leading to the death of at least 23 people, with ten vehicles set on fire. A rail line between Pakistan and Iran and a railway bridge connecting Quetta, the provincial capital, to the rest of the country were also damaged by explosives, causing the suspension of rail traffic with Quetta, according to railways official Muhammad Kashif. Police discovered six unidentified bodies near the railway bridge attack.
Militants also attacked police and security stations across the province, one of which resulted in at least 10 deaths. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement sent to journalists, asserting involvement in additional attacks, including one on a major paramilitary base, though this has not been confirmed by Pakistani authorities. On Sunday night, armed men halted traffic on a highway in Balochistan, forced passengers from their vehicles, and executed them after verifying their identity cards, according to senior superintendent of police, Ayub Achakzai.
The militants have previously targeted workers from the eastern province of Punjab whom they perceive as exploiting their resources. They have also attacked Chinese interests and citizens operating in the province. China operates the strategic deepwater port of Gawadar in southern Balochistan, as well as a gold and copper mine in the west. The BLA stated that its fighters targeted military personnel disguised in civilian clothing, who were shot after being identified. Pakistan's interior ministry declared the victims as innocent citizens.
In clashes with armed militants who attacked a Balochistan Levies station in the central district of Kalat, 10 people were killed, including six security personnel, three civilians, and one tribal elder, according to police official Dostain Khan Dashti. Officials reported attacks on police stations in two southern coastal towns, but the death toll remains unconfirmed. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office condemned the attacks, promising that security forces would retaliate and hold those responsible accountable.
Balochistan, bordering both Iran and Afghanistan, is Pakistan's largest province by area but has the lowest population and remains largely underdeveloped with high levels of poverty.
