Pakistan under pressure as BLA tightens grip on Balochistan, PoK unrest escalates

New Delhi, July 10 (IANS) Pakistan’s troubles appear far from over. Even as the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has called for intensified protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has also escalated its activities in Balochistan, adding to Islamabad’s growing challenges.

Casualties among Pakistan’s security personnel have risen sharply over the past few months. The scale of the losses is evident from the fact that 38 security personnel were killed between July 5 and 8 alone. The dead included 27 policemen and 11 soldiers.

In recent weeks, this has been the biggest setback that the Pakistani security forces have faced. Weeks ago, a deadly attack targeted a train carrying Pakistani security personnel in Balochistan.

An official said that while the Pakistani establishment could be hiding the real number of casualties, intelligence inputs indicate that nearly 150 personnel have been killed in the past two months.

The official said the casualty rate has risen since security forces launched operations to regain control of highways that had fallen into the hands of insurgents.

Organisations such as the BLA have been enhancing capacity over the last couple of years. Today, they have control over the highways and also know the logistics better than the Pakistani security forces. The forces are also losing out due to poor intelligence.

The official said the BLA enjoys widespread local support in parts of Balochistan, which has led to a sharp decline in ground-level intelligence available to the security forces.

An Intelligence Bureau official said, “What has shocked the Pakistani establishment is the manner in which the BLA has been operating in recent times. An organisation that once specialised in guerrilla warfare has evolved well beyond that. It now has a full-fledged suicide squad, which also includes women.”

The BLA’s intelligence unit is more efficient than that of the Pakistani establishment. It can carry out coordinated attacks. The sophistication of the BLA’s attacks has also increased significantly, making it far more challenging for the Pakistani establishment to counter the group’s operations, the official said.

Another official said one of the biggest changes has been the growing support for the BLA. For years, Pakistan has faced criticism from human rights organisations over allegations of enforced disappearances, targeted killings and sexual violence against local women.

“These allegations have fuelled resentment among sections of the local population, many of whom now stand united against the Pakistani establishment,” the official said.

The official also said that the BLA has only been fighting for the rights of the region. For long, they have requested the establishment to use the money generated through the natural resources of Balochistan for the development of the region. This resentment can be seen in the fact that the BLA has targeted police stations, checkpoints, highways and government infrastructure. Islamabad has been accused of diverting all the revenue earned from the region to the bigger cities of Pakistan.

The Baloch people have even complained that none of the benefits that Islamabad would gain from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project (CPEC) would be used for the betterment of the region.

Officials say that Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir finds himself at the crossroads. Be it Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or PoK, his message is one of violence. Munir has been adamant and refuses to have dialogue with these disgruntled groups. Even when the protests intensified in PoK, his message was to crush the dissent using force.

An official said that in Balochistan, the Pakistan Army chief may soon face a situation where the BLA refuses to hold talks even if he seeks negotiations. Officials added that successive Pakistani governments have adopted an arrogant approach towards Balochistan, further deepening the alienation of the local population.

Over the years, organisations such as the BLA have enhanced strike capabilities and are today using modern weapons, enhanced technology and commercially available drones to target the establishment, the official also added.

–IANS

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