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India Today
09-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Baloch rebels see opportunity in Pakistan's adversity, hoist flags of liberation
While Pakistan is busy launching futile drone and missile attacks on Indian civilians and military sites across its eastern front, Baloch rebels have stepped up their offensive against Pakistani security forces. At least three groups of Baloch fighters have seized control of parts of its western province, Balochistan. The developments come amid fighting between several rebel groups and Pakistani forces escalating and calls for Balochistan's independence growing louder. Images and videos of Baloch people hoisting their flags after pulling down Pakistan's are all over social pro-independence groups carried out coordinated attacks on Pakistani security forces and their assets swept across Balochistan on Thursday, according to news reports and posts from credible attacks on the Pakistani regime in Balochistan have gained momentum in the last week. The attacks come even as the Islamabad-Rawalpindi establishment is focused on reacting to India's strike on terror camps as part of Operation Sindoor. The Baloch groups have intensified to such an extent that the forces of the Pakistani security forces faced at least four attacks by "unidentified armed assailants" in the provincial capital of Quetta on Thursday. Explosions and intense gunfire were reported across Quetta, according to Balochistan-based Radio Zrumbesh Thursday, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) rebels targeted "the Pakistani Army and its collaborators in six separate attacks in Kech, Mastung and Kachi", according to Radio Zrumbesh people have started hoisting their own flags and taking down Pakistani flags. Time for the world to pull back their diplomatic missions from Pakistan and shift them into the newly emerging country of Balochistan. Farewell to Pakistan, welcome to Balochistan," Baloch writer Mir Yar Baloch posted on spate of attacks comes days after former Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that Pakistan's federal government and army were losing control over the restive province of Balochistan, especially after said senior government officials and ministers couldn't move around in Balochistan without security escorts. Abbasi also challenged the narrative of Army Chief Asim Munir regarding the scale of rebellion in REBELS RAMP UP ATTACKS ON PAK ARMYOn Thursday, the BLA fighters targeted a bomb disposal squad of the Pakistani army in Dashtuk, Kech District, using a remote-controlled IED, killing one soldier on the a separate incident, BLA fighters launched an attack on a Pakistani army outpost in Katgan, also in Kech, using automatic weapons, reportedly killing some security personnel, Balochistan-based journalist Bahot Baluch wrote on X, citing Jeeyand Baloch, the BLA IED blasts on the Pakistani army and its supply vehicles took place in Zamuran's Sah Dem area, which claimed several lives, according to Bahot attacks on Thursday followed several attacks on Wednesday where Pakistan's critical infrastructure like gas pipelines and resource transport vehicles came under rebel attack. Three pro-independence Baloch armed groups claimed responsibility for these incidents, reported The Balochistan Wednesday, two IED attacks hit Pakistani security forces and a military supply vehicle in Zamuran in Balochistan's Kech district, the Post reported writer Mir Yar Baloch also claimed that the rebels have attacked Pakistan's gas fields in Dera Bugti, an area where over 100 gas wells, operated by the state-owned Pakistan Petroleum Limited, are located."A possible announcement should soon be done as the collapse of the terrorist Pakistan is near. We have claimed our independence, and we request India to allow Balochistan's official office, and embassy in Delhi," Mir Yar Baloch wrote on the Pakistani army chief, Asim Munir, has claimed that the "unrest" in Balochistan is the result of just 1,500 people, the government in Islamabad has conveniently blamed the Indian government for the home-grown, decades-long resistance in the Balochistan is rich in natural resources, the Islamabad-Rawalpindi combination has for decades extracted the mineral wealth, giving nothing in return to the local Baloch people. While Balochistan has seen episodes of the fight for liberation, this is one of the longest-running resistances in recent Pakistan PM Abbasi, who raised the alarm about the situation in Balochistan, said, "This is not a breakdown in law and order. It is a sign of the state's fading authority".Abbasi's also challenged Munir's absurd assertion on Balochistan, saying, "whatever Asim Munir may say is his opinion, I am only stating what I saw".The former prime minister's remarks came on May May 6, as if to prove him right, the BLA killed 14 army personnel of the Pakistan army in two separate attacks in Balochistan's Bolan and Kech, news agency ANI THIS BALOCHISTAN UPRISING AGAINST PAKISTAN, CHINA IS DIFFERENTThe people of Balochistan, since Pakistan went back on its words and occupied it in 1948, have faced economic marginalisation, resource exploitation, and human rights Pakistan's largest province by area and mineral-rich yet least populated, has been plagued by a decades-long armed and peaceful movements by ethnic Baloch people over economic marginalisation, resource exploitation, and human rights federal government, its powerful army, and Chinese assets are facing the fiercest wave of resistance yet from the Baloch rebel groups. The resistance, led by the BLA, has intensified attacks on Pakistani security forces and infrastructure built by the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)'s China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).The Pakistani military has responded with heavy-handed tactics, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial not just armed groups resisting the Pakistani state. Women like Mahrang Baloch are at the forefront of a peaceful movement, challenging the Pakistani army's forced disappearances of Baloch men, with courage and herself, is now in Baloch women have picked up arms and are turning into suicide attacks by Baloch armed rebel groups have dealt massive damage to the Pakistani apparatus, and Chinese assets, in the 2024, Pakistan's civil and military security forces witnessed a 40% increase in casualties (383) in Balochistan compared to 2023, according to the South Asia Terrorism the Baloch rebels, knowing that Pakistan is distracted after Operation Sindoor, have intensified their attacks on the Pakistani forces, including in Quetta, and hoisted flags of Watch
The Print
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Baloch separatist group BLA claims it's killed six Pakistan Army personnel in IED attack
The escalation in violence comes a day after Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi sounded the alarm over a deteriorating security situation in Balochistan. In an interview, Abbasi warned that the state was 'rapidly losing control', particularly during night hours. 'In Quetta, even senior government officials cannot move without heavy security. After dark, the state's presence on the ground virtually disappears', he said. The IED attack, which left five soldiers injured too, targeted a military vehicle moving between the Amir Post and the Ali Khan base Tuesday in the Geshtri area of Bolan, The Balochistan Post reported. Security forces have cordoned off the area, and five helicopters are conducting a search operation now. New Delhi: Six Pakistan Army personnel, including a major-rank officer, have died in an attack with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Balochistan's Bolan district, said a statement by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has claimed credit for the killings. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi attributed the worsening crisis to the increasing assertiveness of the Baloch armed groups, who now routinely patrol highways, set up checkpoints, and occupy urban areas for extended periods. 'This is not just a breakdown in law and order—it signals a loss of state authority,' he said, pushing back on recent comments from the Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, who claimed the unrest had only 1,500 backers. 'This is a dangerous misreading. The problem is far deeper,' Shahid Khaqan Abbasi added. The Baloch Liberation Army or BLA, one of the most active separatist outfits in Balochistan, has claimed responsibility for two other attacks this week. Its fighters Sunday killed Amjad Ababaki, an operative in the Pakistan counter terrorism department, in the Jungle Bagh area of Quetta. The Baloch Liberation Army accused Ababaki of enforced disappearances and torture, including the abuse of minors and elders under the cover of state agencies. The BLA Friday hit a compound, which, allegedly, was inhabited by a state-backed militia group, known locally as a 'death squad'. The attack, using a grenade launcher, killed a guard on the compound in the Khudabadan area of the Panjgur district. The BLA has called both attacks part of its broader campaign against what it described as systemic state violence in Balochistan. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Nishikant to Himanta, BJP leaders back 'free Balochistan, split Pakistan' after Pahalgam attack
Express Tribune
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Economic revival tied to political stability: Abbasi
Awaam Pakistan Party (APP) Chairman Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that Pakistan cannot move forward unless the ongoing political instability ends, adding that there is a need for genuine political leadership and stronger democratic processes. Speaking to the media during his visit to Quetta on Thursday, Abbasi voiced serious concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan. "For the past 10 to 15 years, Balochistan has faced continuous crises. Today, its highways are unsafe, its economy is suffering, and its youth are losing hope," he remarked. "We must reflect on why such conditions persist in Balochistan." He criticized Islamabad for failing to address the basic grievances of the people of Balochistan and urged the federal government to take effective and revolutionary measures to redress the long-standing concerns of the province's population. "The issues of the country will not be resolved until political unrest ends and the rule of law is established. We must run the country and divide its resources within the framework of the Constitution," he said.
Express Tribune
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
No investment amid chaos, warns Abbasi
Awaam Pakistan Party (APP) chief Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Thursday that no country could attract investment amid political chaos and in the absence of the rule of law, emphasising that no improvement should be expected until the country was governed under the Constitution. Speaking at the 'Meet the Press' programme at the Karachi Press Club (KPC), Abbasi condemned India's actions after Pahalgam attack, particularly the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. "No one could be allowed to stop water. We have to become one nation and confront the Indian aggression," he said. The former prime minister dilated on several issues facing the country – from canals controversy to the law and order situation – and criticised the federal government's performance. He also spoke about the infrastructure and services delivery issues in Karachi. "Karachi is the jugular vein of Pakistan, if this does not work, then Pakistan will not work," Abbasi, who served as the prime minister for year in 2017-18, told the reporters. "The conditions that will be in Karachi, will be the same in the whole of Pakistan." He said that 70 of the population of Karachi did not have access to tap water. "Where in the world water is supplied through tankers. It means that the required amount of water is available but the people are deprived of tap-water facility," he said. On the canals issue, he said that the issued should have been raised in the Senate and the National Assembly. "Sindh is in protest today, which will impact the entire country." On Balochistan, he said that the solution to its problem would be found only through talks and listening to its people's concerns. Abbasi said that everywhere in the world laws were enacted for media freedom, therefore, "today is not the time to restrict the media" by resorting to legislation. "Today, new provinces are needed. Reforms are needed, but unfortunately, reforms were not being discussed.
Express Tribune
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Abbasi slams PPP over Karachi's decline, cites 17 years of neglect
Abbasi criticized federal and provincial governments for inaction and secrecy, noting public anxiety and media silence. PHOTO :FILE Listen to article Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, convenor of the Awam Pakistan Party, expressed deep concern over the deteriorating state of Karachi during an interactive session at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi on Wednesday. Addressing media representatives and students, Abbasi criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for failing to resolve basic civic issues despite holding power in Sindh for the past 17 years. 'After nearly two decades in power, PPP has yet to address fundamental issues like access to clean water. One has to step outside the city center to truly understand how deprived Karachi really is,' Abbasi remarked. The event featured a special Q&A session with students who engaged with the former premier on topics ranging from governance and political reform to the future direction of Pakistan. During the session, Abbasi raised concerns over the new canals project from the Indus River. 'This is not a new issue. I visited Sukkur in November, and the people were already worried. The federal government has failed to clarify how these canals will affect Sindh's water share,' he said. He further criticised both the federal and provincial governments for their inaction and lack of transparency, adding that the public remains anxious while the media remains largely silent. 'PPP is now part of the federal government; they cannot disassociate themselves from these issues,' he added. Calling for accountability, he urged that the Council of Common Interests (CCI) be convened immediately to address these matters openly. 'The longer we delay, the more trust we lose between provinces. This lack of clarity is dangerous for national unity.' Speaking on regional tensions, the former PM condemned India's recurring strategy of blaming Pakistan for terrorist incidents to gain political advantage, saying such tactics only serve to mask deeper issues. Referring to a recent tragic event in Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) , he said, 'Over 26 lives were lost. No one should be allowed to attack unarmed civilians.' Abbasi also highlighted Pakistan's internal security challenges and spoke about the ongoing issue of missing persons. 'To this day, the commission has failed to document these individuals, and the government continues to hide the truth. We owe it to the nation to bring facts to light.' On the economy, he criticised the government's handling of inflation and agricultural policy. 'The farmer is suffering. Wheat procurement has been mismanaged, with prices rising from Rs2200 to Rs4000 per maund. If the farmer fails, the economy fails.' He also pointed to the lack of transparency in public sector governance, saying the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has failed to hold politicians and bureaucrats truly accountable. 'After 25 years, NAB still makes it seem like every politician is innocent. We need to ask how public officials afford their lifestyles.' Touching upon electricity shortages and infrastructure gaps in Karachi, Abbasi said, 'This is a city where electricity usage peaks between 1 and 5 am. Until Karachi develops, the country cannot progress.' He argued that meaningful reforms by Pakistan's three major political parties could drive national progress but lamented their failure to address the public's real issues. 'Today, nearly every opposition party has some level of governance, yet none has emerged as a role model.' On the subject of democratic values, Abbasi emphasised the need for open political dialogue between politicians and the establishment. 'We are still failing to adopt democratic norms. National issues must be discussed transparently with the public, not behind closed doors.' He concluded by recalling Pakistan's troubled electoral history. 'We saw the country break apart because election results were rejected. Every election has been marred by manipulation. I've contested ten elections—no two were ever alike.' Calling for responsible leadership, he urged ministers to take initiative rather than rely solely on the prime minister for problem-solving. 'Good governance means taking responsibility at every level,' he added.
