By Deutsche Welle (Asia) | Created at 2025-03-12 15:51:11 | Updated at 2025-03-12 20:59:58
5 hours ago
Baloch separatists in Pakistan launched a surprise attack on Tuesday, hijacking a train carrying hundreds of passengers, drawing into focus the sharply deteriorating security situation in the South Asian country.
Pakistani authorities on Wednesday said the insurgent attack had ended, with more than 50 attackers killed following a daylong standoff.
It remains unclear how many hostages were rescued alive.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the largest militant group in the region, claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the group had earlier said they were ready to free passengers if authorities agreed to release jailed militants.
Immense security challenges
The train was traveling from Quetta to the northern city of Peshawar when it was attacked.
Elizabeth Threlkeld, director of the South Asia program at Washington-based Stimson Center, said it's alarming to see the BLA pull off such a large-scale attack targeting civilians.
"This is a hugely significant attack and one that will have lasting consequences for Pakistan's security," she told DW.
"The fact that the group was able to mount an attack of this nature and scale suggests the immense intelligence and security challenges that exist in Balochistan," the expert added.
Qamar Cheema, executive director of the Islamabad-based security think tank Sanober Institute, echoed this view.
"This is a significant attack, marking the first instance in which the BLA has altered its strategy. The hijacking of the train represents a new tactic for the militant group, depicting their enhanced intelligence and capabilities to inflict harm on the Pakistani government and its citizens," he said.
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The train hijack is the latest in a string of attacks Balochistan has suffered over the past couple of years.
The province is the largest in Pakistan, but is sparsely populated by around 9 million Balochs.
The Baloch, a minority Sunni Muslim ethnic group, say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.
They point to the community being among the poorest in the country despite Balochistan boasting vast natural resources such as gold, diamonds, silver and copper.
For decades, efforts for autonomy or independence have been met with violent suppression by Islamabad. And Baloch armed groups, for their part, have engaged in a prolonged conflict against Pakistani security forces.
In recent years, the Baloch have also been angry over rising Chinese investment in the region as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The BLA and other separatist groups accuse Beijing of exploiting their resources and land, and fear that the influx of Chinese investments and workers might further marginalize the Baloch people.
BLA militants have also carried out attacks targeting CPEC and Chinese workers in the region.
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Intensifying conflict
Threlkeld said the situation in Balochistan "is complex and deep-rooted," and a number of factors are driving the increase in violence in the region.
She pointed to "shifting militant tactics, local grievances over political exclusion and resource extraction, as well as a reaction to intensified military operations."
Cheema believes the conflict in Balochistan is intensifying due to growing collaboration between various Baloch militant groups and outfits like the the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
"This alliance of ethnic and Islamist militants is expanding and making a significant impact, contributing to the escalation," he said.
"Simultaneously, there appears to be a lack of societal support for the political setup, which in turn is giving confidence to the militant groups to carry out attacks," he added.
A similar insurgency has also launched attacks in the Balochistan region of neighboring Iran.
The insurgencies on either side of the Iran-Pakistan border have frustrated both countries, with their governments suspecting each other of supporting, or at least tolerating, some of the groups operating on the other side of the border.
In January 2024, Iran and Pakistan engaged in a tit-for-tat airstrike targeting insurgents inside each other's border areas.
But later both sides quickly deescalated the situation through talks.
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What can be done?
Pakistani authorities estimate that the BLA has around 3,000 fighters.
Cheema said gathering additional intelligence to disrupt the supply chain of weapons and equipment is crucial to tackle the ethnic armed group.
Also important is "identifying infiltrations and sympathizers," he noted.
Threlkeld said a multifaceted approach is needed to put an end to the insurgency.
"Security operations alone will not succeed in generating stability — and could well backfire — if they aren't paired with meaningful efforts to give residents more of a stake and a say in how their province is governed," she underlined.
"That also includes addressing the longstanding grievances that drive local alienation, including enforced disappearances."
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
