The renewed wave of terrorism has brought Pakistan to a critical juncture. The tragic incident of the Jaffar Express hijacking is a stark reminder of the increasing capacity and intensity of the attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). According to the terrorism index, the attacks by BLA have ramped up from 116 in 2023 to 504 in 2024, while deaths quadrupled from 88 to 388. The access to digital sources also makes BLA a much more dangerous group. The BLA has also been actively propagating its propaganda through social media asserting their identity as freedom fighters, exploiting the narrative of “missing persons”, using HD quality videos of their attacks and the bilingual nature of videos to reach a broader audience and get international attention- all suggest that BLA is increasingly posing serious challenges to national security and integration of Pakistan.
The trend of using female suicide bombers, especially educated women, depicts the effectiveness of BLA’s propaganda and its deep penetration into different segments of Baloch society. On the flip side, the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan continues to be a nuisance for Pakistan under the complete patronage of the de-facto Afghan rulers. There have also been rumours regarding the TTP-BLA collaboration which further compounds the problem for Pakistan.
For years, the people of Balochistan have been deprived of socioeconomic prosperity and elements like BLA are successfully capitalizing on these long-standing grievances.
While the Pakistani security forces have already been conducting Intelligence-based Operations (IBO), the consistent rise in the threat underscores the limitation of relying solely on the IBOs. The 14-point National Action Plan devised after the Army Public School attack and later revised in 2021 provides a framework for the eradication of this menace of terrorism, yet it has not been implemented in its true letter and spirit. Sustainable peace requires more than just military action-non-kinetic strategies are equally crucial.
For years, the people of Balochistan have been deprived of socioeconomic prosperity and elements like BLA are successfully capitalizing on these long-standing grievances. Regardless of the root causes or responsible parties, the state must take the initiative and bring the stakeholders to the table and address their genuine grievances. Any further delay will only worsen the situation. Bridging the trust deficit between the state and the Baloch populace is the key to breaking BLA’s backbone as the group thrives on these divisions. With the window of opportunity rapidly closing, it is time for the civil administration to shoulder some responsibility and play an active role in restoring lasting peace.
The writer is a freelance columnist.