The Unacknowledged War: BLA’s Campaign for Power in South Asia
Written By: Zubair Baloch
For decades, the Baloch people have been fighting the Pakistani state to re-establish their own state, one that was forcibly annexed in the early days following the creation of the Islamic republic. What began as a sporadic insurgency has evolved into a more organized and increasingly conventional form of warfare. Over the past two decades, particularly since 2018, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has become more operationally capable, with advancements in organizational structure, military strategy, manpower, and equipment. The adoption of suicide bombing tactics has further intensified the conflict, transforming the BLA into a rising power structure in South Asia.
As political and security competition in the region escalates, shaped by shifts in the global order, understanding the BLA’s growing strength is critical, especially in light of China’s involvement in Balochistan and the mounting threats to its investments.
On September 18 of this year, the most lethal and effective military unit of the Baloch Liberation Army, the Majeed Brigade, ambushed the Pakistani Army in Dasht, Turbat, Balochistan, leaving 32 Pakistani Army personnel dead and dozens of soldiers seriously wounded. The attack involved a VBIED (Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device), followed swiftly by gunfire from two other militants targeting the military personnel in other buses. The BLA also acknowledged the deaths of its three fighters, belonging to the BLA’s elite Majeed Brigade unit, which consists of several suicide militants.
Just two months earlier, in July, BLA fighters ambushed a convoy of the Pakistani military in the Jalawan area of Kalat, killing multiple regular army troops who were onboard the convoy, leaving Balochistan after years of service in the region.
However, the BLA, in one of its statements last year, warned Pakistani soldiers that they would not be able to leave Balochistan safely if the army did not end its occupation. Similarly, the BLA’s commander-in-chief, Bashir Zaib, also warned the military to either withdraw or face the consequences of occupying a foreign land.
For many decades, Baloch armed groups have relied on guerrilla-style light-fire raids and ambushes against the military. Not anymore. The BLA’s growing capabilities in combat and tactical operations have now elevated the insurgency into a full-blown war against the Pakistani apartheid state and its years of relentless repression, genocidal crimes, and endless war against the Baloch nation. It is worth noting that the majority of highways in Balochistan are now always under the security control of Baloch armed groups, as Baloch Sarmachars (militants) impose blockades, freezing military movement in many areas.
Fearing attacks, military personnel are now requesting the government to ensure their safety after suffering multiple serious and brutal assaults while returning home. Ministers are unable to travel by road, and investors are fleeing the region due to the threat of violence and loss of business. The army is no longer able to provide security to investors. To make matters worse for Pakistan, China is withdrawing from many investments in Balochistan. Pakistan now fears losing multi-billion-dollar projects in the region, particularly the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a mega-project that has long been under scrutiny.
In response to this shifting security dynamic, ministers and senators have begun raising alarms in the mainstream media, declaring that they are losing Balochistan to the militants. On Sunday, during a session, Senator Murtaza stated that they are unable to travel by road in Balochistan and that the cost of airplanes is unaffordable for regular use. Fearing the BLA’s growing control, the provincial parliament passed a resolution on Thursday to allocate six to ten security personnel for each minister.
Recently, during a session in Balochistan’s provincial parliament, Zafar Zehri, an MPA from Jalawan region, declared, “Now Bashir Zaib controls Balochistan”. The government has lost this war against the BLA.” Shifting from guerrilla-style warfare to conventional methods, the BLA is now focusing on holding territory. During recent skirmishes between the Pakistani Army and Sarmachars, BLA fighters engaged in prolonged fighting to hold the ground, rather than simply launching attacks and withdrawing. Zehri, a district in the Jalawan region of Balochistan, has been under the control of BRAS (Baloch Raji Aajoie Sangar), an umbrella organization that includes the BLA, BLF, and BRG, for several months. Despite multiple attempts, the state has yet to regain control as of this writing.
However, the attacks are not limited to ground offensives. ZIRAB, the intelligence wing of the BLA, has been involved in a series of highly organized assassinations targeting Pakistan’s security apparatus. Over a single month, more than four Major-rank officers were killed, three by the BLA and one by the BLF. By eliminating high-ranking figures in the security chain, the BLA is creating a growing sense of alarm among officers. Faced with this dire security situation, no senior police officer from Punjab is willing to take charge in the region, a clear sign of the fear that now grips the higher ranks of Pakistan’s security forces.
As we witness a rapid and drastic shift in global political affairs, the economic rise of China, America’s increasingly open confrontation with Beijing, the Russia-Ukraine war reshaping the nature of warfare and global alliances, Europe’s fear of conflict, and Israel’s aggressive actions in the Middle East, particularly targeting Iran, Pakistan continues to scramble for relevance. It does so by aligning itself with every major power while simultaneously sponsoring terrorism across the region, especially against India, in an attempt to obstruct India’s fast-growing economy and military power. In this volatile context, it is crucial to understand the evolving power structure of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), its growing influence, and its ability to strike strategic targets such as Gwadar and China’s multi-billion-dollar investments in the region. The BLA could emerge as a vital player capable of altering regional equations between powerful states.
Furthermore, the BLA’s operational capabilities have expanded to such an extent that it can now significantly threaten China’s interests in Balochistan. Multiple Chinese projects, and Beijing’s broader ambitions to establish a power base in the region, have been disrupted due to sustained attacks on both infrastructure and personnel. China has long sought strategic access to the Arabian Sea and aims to encircle India through its presence in Pakistan. Its ambitions include building a military footprint in Balochistan to support its global aspirations. However, a series of devastating attacks, including the 2022 suicide bombing that killed three Chinese teachers in Karachi, and assaults on Chinese engineers near Karachi airport and other locations, have placed those ambitions in jeopardy.
As global powers seek strategic partners amid an intensifying security competition and a shifting world order, the BLA could emerge as a valuable and reliable ally to India and the West. As a secular movement that stands for an independent, pluralistic Baloch nation and embraces the values of a rules-based international order, the BLA aligns ideologically with liberal democracies. India and its Western allies must rethink their conventional foreign policy approaches, which have consistently failed to counter Pakistan’s state-sponsored extremism or contain China’s growing power in South Asia.
Supporting the BLA could enable India to eliminate the long-standing Pakistani threat and challenge China’s encroachment in the region, especially in the Indian Ocean and South Asia, where China aims to contain India’s rise as a regional superpower. India’s support for an independent Balochistan and strategic partnership with the BLA could become a cornerstone of a long-term regional strategy. This would not only strengthen India’s bid for regional hegemony but also enhance its security architecture for the future. For the BLA and the Baloch nation, such a partnership is equally vital, a strategic alliance against an occupying Pakistani state that has suppressed their right to sovereignty for over seven decades.
About Writer – The writer is a former Information Secretary of the Baloch Students Organization-Azad, holds a degree in Political Science, has worked as a journalist, and is currently active in the Baloch liberation movement.
The information, facts, or opinions expressed in these articles are presented as-is or reflect the personal opinions of the author.
