Balochistan insurgents put Pakistan Army on the back foot
Pakistan, which repeatedly promotes and shelters terrorism against India from its soil, has been rattled with terror attacks in the past two months. According to an Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), a total of 59 terror attacks took place last month in which 84 people lost their lives.
The Balochistan region, where Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants killed nearly 40 people in Musakhail and Qalat districts last month, continued to witness attacks.
According to a report by the United Nations Department of Safety and Security, armed outfit United Baloch Army (UBA) opened fire at a security force patrolling team in Nemoragh in Qalat district. Three security personnel were killed in the attack.
The Balochistan province in Pakistan remains economically marginalised, contributing to local grievances
In another attack in Turbat district, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) carried out a grenade attack at security forces’ check post. As per the report, unspecified number of security personnel were killed and injured. but the Pakistani establishment is yet to confirm, the report added.
As per the PIPS report, the Baloch Liberation Army’s growing capabilities, especially its use of sophisticated weaponry and coordinated attacks, has come to the light.
Despite being resource-rich, the Balochistan province remains economically marginalised, contributing to local grievances.
As per the PIPS report, BLA has adopted new tactics, such as targeting Punjabis on highways by checking identity cards — a development that may further strain relations between the province and the central government
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) region, unidentified terrorists shot dead a police personnel in Mandan area on Sunday. On the same day, a person was killed and two others injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by unidentified terrorists detonated in the Salarzai area.
According to a Dawn report, last month KP witnessed 29 terrorists attacks in which 25 people were killed and 80 were injured.
Outfits including banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Lashkar-i-Islam, and Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), among others, were responsible for these attacks.