Multiple armed attacks have been reported across major cities in Balochistan, escalating tensions in the region ahead of Pakistan’s Independence Day.
In Kalat, armed assailants attacked a vehicle transporting equipment for the Saindak project in the Mangochar tehsil. The attack left the vehicle damaged and its driver injured. The vehicle was en route from Karachi to Saindak when it was ambushed.
On Sunday night in Turbat, the central city of Kech district, a rocket attack struck a security forces post on Airport Road. This was the third attack in Turbat that evening, following earlier incidents at Taleemi Chowk and Frontier Corps (FC) Makuran Scout in Apsar. The explosions were heard across the city, but authorities have not yet provided details on casualties or damage.
In Khuzdar, a security forces patrol team was targeted with a hand grenade in the Bazgir area. Heavy gunfire followed the explosion, but the extent of the damage remains unclear.
Meanwhile, in Quetta, two police officials were injured in a grenade attack at Goalmandi Chowk. The injured officials, identified as Muhammad Zaman and Noor Jan, are reported to be in stable condition.
While no group has claimed responsibility for these specific attacks so far, similar attacks in the past have been carried out by Baloch “pro-independence” armed groups.
Separately, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for two attacks in Kech district. According to BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch, the group’s fighters targeted supplies and machinery belonging to the Pakistani military in Tump and Zamuran.
The BLA claims that its fighters seized a vehicle carrying rations for a military camp in Shah-Aap, Tump, and later destroyed construction machinery in Zamuran. The vehicle’s driver was reportedly released after receiving a warning.
The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) also claimed responsibility for several attacks on Pakistani forces in Kech and Mastung districts, stating that ten soldiers were killed and five others injured.
The BLF spokesperson, Major Gwahram Baloch, said that the group’s fighters launched three separate attacks on military positions in Kolwah, Kech, using modern and automatic weapons. They also claimed responsibility for an attack in Hirronk, Kech, and for hurling a hand grenade at the residence of a Pakistani army major in Mastung, causing damage.
Following one of these attacks in Kolwah, Pakistani forces reportedly fired several mortar shells into a civilian area, resulting in the death of a four-year-old girl named Sitara. The child’s death has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and activists.
The Baloch National Movement’s (BNM) human rights department, PAANK, condemned the killing on social media and called for accountability. They urged Pakistani authorities to return the body of the deceased to the family and to punish those responsible.
The Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB) also condemned the incident, describing it as a grave violation of human rights and urging an end to such actions against civilians. They criticized the prolonged detention of the child’s body before its return, labeling it an inhumane act that compounded the family’s suffering.
Baloch activist Sammi Deen Baloch condemned the incident, stating, “Indiscriminate firing by security forces resulted in the martyrdom of four-year-old Sitara Shabbir in Dandar, Kech.” She added that the forces “have not yet handed over the child’s body to her family,” and emphasized that “Balochistan is engulfed in a resistance struggle against oppression and brutality.”
Prominent activist and academic Nida Kirmani highlighted the incident on social media platform X, stating, “This 5-year-old child, Sitara Shabbir, was killed by the indiscriminate firing of security forces in Dandar last night. This is why thousands are joining the #BalochRaajiMuchi, to end this daily suffering.”