May 10, a spokesperson for the elite "Fatih Unit" of the Baloch Liberation Army in Balochistan, Jeyand Baloch, claimed responsibility for attacks on 39 locations within Balochistan. The operations included capturing police checkpoints, blocking key transportation routes, detaining informants, and attacking military convoys transporting mineral resources.
On May 11, the organization issued a "anti-Pakistan statement," claiming it could cooperate with India to launch an offensive against Pakistan from the west.
By May 11, 2025, the Baloch Liberation Army had carried out two terrorist attacks.
March 11 attack on the passenger train in Pakistan. On March 11, 2025, in a tunnel in Balochistan Province in southwestern Pakistan, an armed attack occurred on a train traveling from Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, to Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the northwest. At least six armed militants destroyed the railway tracks to stop the train, and more than 450 passengers were taken hostage, including women and children. The attack injured several people, including the train driver. The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for this attack and threatened to kill hostages if their demands were not met, warning that any rescue attempt would face serious consequences.
March 16 suicide bombing incident in Balochistan. On March 16, 2025, a severe suicide bombing incident occurred in the Nosheki region of Balochistan Province in southwestern Pakistan. Armed militants of the Baloch Liberation Army drove a vehicle loaded with explosives into a paramilitary convoy, causing at least five deaths and over 30 injuries.
This organization is no simple matter!
I. Founded by the Soviet Union
The "Balochistan Liberation Army" (BLA), headquartered in Afghanistan, is a radical Baloch nationalist organization recognized as a terrorist group by multiple countries.
1. Historical Background
Balochistan is rich in resources but economically backward. Historically, when British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan in 1947, the Kalat princely state of Balochistan refused to join Pakistan and declared the establishment of the "Independent State of Balochistan." It was forcibly suppressed by the Pakistani government after one year. Since then, the Baloch people have repeatedly launched armed uprisings demanding autonomy, all of which were suppressed.
2. Extraordinary Origin
After the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in the 20th century, to disrupt Pakistan's logistics lines supporting Afghan guerrillas, the Soviet Union formed the "Baloch Liberation Army" with the core of the leftist student organization "Baloch Students Organization." Some members of the organization received training in the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the organization went dormant due to the loss of funding sources.
3. Revival from Obscurity
Following the "9/11" incident, Pakistan experienced unrest. The Baloch Liberation Army took advantage of this opportunity to gradually plan and carry out various terrorist activities. Additionally, India, seeking to weaken Pakistan's strength, continuously supported this organization. BLA claims to seek greater regional autonomy for Balochistan but has long attacked Pakistan's armed forces, civilians, and foreigners through acts of terrorism, seriously endangering regional peace and stability.
II. Utilization by the United States
The U.S. government has complex and multifaceted relations with the "Balochistan Liberation Army":
1. Early Utilization and Support
After the "9/11" incident, the U.S., in order to obtain intelligence about the Taliban, injected funds into the "Balochistan Liberation Army," reviving it from its dormant state and making it a tool of American policy.
2. Strategic Adjustment and Transformation
After 2014, the U.S. became increasingly powerless on the Afghan issue, leading to a shift in its stance toward the "Balochistan Liberation Army." As U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan, the organization gradually lost its protection. However, following the change in Afghanistan's situation in 2021, a large number of U.S. weapons and ammunition entered Pakistan, enhancing the organization's capabilities to some extent.
3. Publicity and Policy Support
In the 2010s, U.S. think tanks published numerous reports, advocating that "Baloch independence" had significant meaning in weakening Pakistan's and China's strategic interests. In 2024, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution condemning Pakistan's "human rights violations" against the Baloch people, providing moral support for separatism.
These actions by the U.S. government reflect its attempts to achieve its geopolitical goals in the Middle East and South Asia through various means, including utilizing terrorist organizations and separatist forces, to contain the development of China and Pakistan.
III. Indian Support
Substantial evidence indicates close ties between India and the "Balochistan Liberation Army":
1. Financial Support
According to the leader of the "Baloch Nationalist Army," who surrendered to the Pakistani government, India has been covertly providing activity funds to armed forces in Balochistan, supporting terrorist activities.
2. Supply of Weapons and Equipment
Rumors suggest that India has long provided weapons to separatist armed organizations like the "Balochistan Liberation Army" through various channels, enhancing their combat capabilities so they can effectively carry out terrorist attacks and separatist activities.
3. Personnel Training
India is accused of financing the establishment of at least nine training camps for the "Baloch Liberation Army" in Afghanistan, where personnel receive military training in combat skills, demolition techniques, intelligence gathering, etc., improving the organization's military quality and operational capabilities.
4. Intelligence Assistance
The Indian intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), maintains close contact with the "Balochistan Liberation Army," providing intelligence on Pakistan's military deployments, important facility locations, and security measures, helping the organization plan and execute terrorist attacks.
5. Providing Shelter and Medical Aid
According to a report by The Hindu in 2019, many leaders of the "Baloch Liberation Army" use false identities to access India with the help of Indian intelligence agencies, receiving Indian funding, training, and healthcare. India provides shelter and medical assistance to members of the organization.
India supports the "Balochistan Liberation Army" partly due to its long-standing hostility towards Pakistan, attempting to weaken Pakistan's strength by supporting terrorist organizations;另一方面是为了 constrain China's influence in the region, as Balochistan is crucial for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor construction.
Understanding the origins of the Balochistan Liberation Army and its relationships with the Soviet Union, the United States, and India explains why the organization issued an "anti-Pakistan statement" on May 11, claiming it could cooperate with India to launch an offensive against Pakistan from the west.
According to relevant reports, on May 14, 2025, local time, "secessionist leader" Mir Yar Baloch and others in Balochistan Province of Pakistan publicly claimed on social media that "the Baloch region has seceded from Pakistan and will establish a sovereign independent nation," calling on the international community, especially the Indian government, to recognize their "right to self-determination."
As of May 16, 2025, the Indian government made no formal statements regarding the declaration of independence in Balochistan. However, some Indian civil organizations began planning rallies to support the "freedom struggle" in Balochistan. Indian media reported extensively, such as an article by the Indian Asian News Service stating that the leader of Balochistan announced secession from Pakistan and sought support from India and the international community. Several Indian media outlets also wildly reprinted related messages about the declaration of independence in Balochistan.
It can be assumed that although the Indian government has not openly acknowledged its relationship with the Baloch separatist movement, Pakistan has long accused India of secretly supporting the Baloch rebellion. India is believed to have possible means of providing support to the Baloch separatist forces through unofficial and secret channels, such as humanitarian aid or intelligence sharing.
I believe that the Pakistani government should have intelligence on the Baloch Liberation Army and understands its relationship with India. The organization's threats at such a sensitive time are not unrelated to India and the U.S. The Pakistani government should strengthen its public opinion offensive, present evidence, and prove that the so-called "independence" events in Balochistan are linked to India and the U.S. This way, it can undermine India's "legitimacy" in arming itself under the guise of counter-terrorism to invade Pakistan.
Pakistan took the following measures against the announcement of independence in Balochistan:
1. Military Action
The Pakistani government declared the "independence" illegal and unconstitutional, urgently increasing troops in Balochistan, deploying large numbers of army and paramilitary forces to the region, strengthening control and patrols in key areas, transportation hubs, important facilities, and border regions to prevent further actions by separatist forces and maintain social order and stability. At the same time, it launched military operations to strike separatist forces and terrorist organizations like the Baloch Liberation Army. The Pakistani military conducted raids and clearance operations on the camps and strongholds of the separatists, eliminating armed militants, destroying their military facilities and equipment, and rescuing hostages held.
2. Political Counterattack
Emphasizing that Balochistan is an inseparable part of Pakistan, the government expressed its firm stance on maintaining national unity and territorial integrity through official statements and speeches by government spokespeople to both domestic and foreign audiences. It also actively communicated with the international community, explaining the truth of the incident to countries around the world, exposing the intentions of external forces like India to interfere in Pakistan's internal affairs, seeking understanding and support from the international community, and calling on the international community not to recognize the so-called "independence" declaration.
3. Economic Measures
The government realized that economic imbalances were a factor contributing to the problems in Balochistan. Therefore, it planned to promote provincial economic reforms, increase investment in Balochistan, improve local infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and power and water facilities, promote local industrial development, utilize the province's resource advantages to develop mining, fishing, and livestock industries, create more job opportunities, improve people's livelihoods, and fundamentally eliminate the soil for division.
4. Social Education
Enhancing public education and raising awareness among the populace about national unity and ethnic solidarity, strengthening the sense of national identity and belonging among the people of Balochistan. Efforts were made to resolve ethnic conflicts, promote exchanges and integration among different ethnic groups, and enhance mutual understanding and trust through cultural exchange activities and educational cooperation.
It is worth noting that in response to the announcement of "independence" in Balochistan, China took the following actions to assist Pakistan:
1. Diplomatic Support
The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement reaffirming the "all-weather strategic cooperative partnership" with Pakistan, firmly supporting Pakistan in maintaining national sovereignty and territorial integrity, emphasizing its determination to combat terrorism and separatist forces, and promising to deepen anti-terrorism cooperation and intelligence sharing. It also called on India and Pakistan to resolve disputes through dialogue, opposed any external forces interfering in regional affairs, and provided diplomatic support for Pakistan to resist internal and external pressures.
2. Security Cooperation
China particularly pointed out that Balochistan is the core area of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and its stability concerns the common interests of both countries. China will assist Pakistan in strengthening the security guarantee of the Gwadar Port and沿线 projects. For a long time, China and Pakistan have held the "Warrior" series of joint anti-terrorism military exercises each year, focusing on combating separatist forces in the Balochistan region. China also provided Pakistan with a large number of drones, such as Wing Loong-II and Rainbow-IV, to assist in monitoring the activities of separatist forces, providing real-time intelligence support using high-resolution satellites, establishing an intelligence-sharing mechanism, and exchanging information regularly.
3. Economic Aid
China can leverage its infrastructure advantages to help develop the economy of Balochistan. For example, in 2023, the first industrial park was established in Gwadar involving textile, chemical, and electronic manufacturing industries. In the future, more solar and wind power stations can be built locally to address power shortages; natural resources such as copper and zinc mines can be developed to ensure that resource benefits reach local residents; roads can be constructed, schools built, and basic living conditions improved fundamentally, reducing the breeding ground for separatist forces.
From another perspective, the announcement of independence by Balochistan mistakenly seized the opportunity of India's invasion, in fact, giving the Pakistani government a chance to thoroughly resolve the Baloch terrorist forces and allowing China to maintain Pakistan's national independence and economic development. China can assist the Pakistani government in a legitimate manner, leveraging its military advantages to completely eliminate terrorist organizations within Pakistan's borders, creating a favorable development environment for China's west, ensuring the steady progress of the Belt and Road Initiative for the benefit of regional countries and the world. It also gives Pakistan the opportunity to expose India's long-term support for terrorism within its borders. If Pakistan seizes the opportunity to strike back, Modi's lies can easily be exposed.
Note: The author of this article is Mu Lin, a core member of the Qin'an Strategy Think Tank, and an original work of this platform. Welcome friends to leave comments and discuss together, pooling wisdom, gathering popularity, and gathering strength online.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7505344755329499657/
Statement: This article solely represents the views of the author. Feel free to express your attitude by clicking the "Like/Dislike" buttons below.