Balochistan on the brink: Armed militants seize checkposts as independence calls grow louder
Tensions in Balochistan are rising as armed militants seize control posts, calls for independence and international intervention grow stronger in the region. Pakistan
Tensions surged in Pakistan's Balochistan region on May 12 as armed militants seized a security checkpost in Kachhi district and erected blockades in Rarhsham area of Barkhan.
On Monday evening, local authorities declared parts of the Surab district and the Zehri Tehsil of Khuzdhar sensitive while military operations were underway in numerous areas. In a statement, the Assistant Commissioner of Zehri declared several regions- Anjeera, Najjeera, Archino, Garm-aap, Gazzan, and Balbal- as sensitive.
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According to a local news outlet, The Balochistan Post, over 40 military vehicles and significant troop deployments were observed entering the affected region. This is believed to be Islamabad's counterinsurgency measure against the decade-long Balochistan Nationalist movement.
On the 9th and 10th May, while global attention was fixated on the Indo-Pak military confrontation, the Baloch Liberation Army, a banned separatist outfit, launched Exercise for Operation Herof, launching over 71 attacks on 51 different locations.
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Enforced disappearance and crackdown on civil society
Human rights group Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) reported at least 23 cases of enforced disappearances in April, including student journalists and aid workers. The Pakistani administration denies all allegations and calls it their legitimate counter-terrorism measures.
A 2024 Human Rights Watch Report stated that Balochistan is rapidly becoming a "zone of impunity" where disappearances, custodial torture and media blackouts are routine.
"The suppression of civil society is not collateral damage- it is a deliberate tactic,"- stated the report.
The Balochistan Home Department on May 6 withdrew the detention orders of 150 political workers and activists. However, it didn't release Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Dr. Maharang Baloch and six others under the public order law.
Calls for Independence
On May 9, a known writer, Mir Yar Baloch, claimed independence from Pakistan. He has called for support from the Indian Government and the United Nations. In a series of posts on X, he requested that UN peacekeeping forces be deployed in Balochistan and demanded the removal of the Pakistani army from the region. He also urged India to allow a Balochistan embassy in New Delhi.
Balochistan is rich in mineral resources and the largest, least populated and least developed region. In an interview, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi raised concerns that the state is losing control of Balochistan. Even senior government officials are not able to move without security escorts. “After dark, the state’s presence on the ground virtually disappears,” he said, "This is not a breakdown in law and order—it is a sign of the state’s fading authority.”