On the morning of November 9, a unit of Pakistani military non-commissioned officers gathered at the Quetta Railway Station in the city’s Red Zone, preparing to return home after completing training at the Army School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta Cantonment. At that moment, Mohammad Rafiq Bizenjo of the Baloch Liberation Army’s (BLA) Majeed Brigade carried out a suicide attack. This attack is now considered the deadliest in Pakistan’s military history, resulting in the deaths of thirty-one non-commissioned officers and injuries to more than fifty others.
Following Operation Herof, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had dismissed the strength of the Baloch insurgents, describing them as “no more than a match for an SHO.” In response to this latest attack, Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, stated that the military enjoys public support in countering the Baloch independence movement. However, these statements appear to reflect a limited understanding of the realities on the ground in Balochistan. If not for public support, the Baloch armed groups would not have been able to carry out such repeated, high-impact attacks on Pakistan’s military.
This attack marks the second major operation within a month by the Majeed Brigade, aided by the BLA’s intelligence wing, ZIRAB, targeting both Chinese investors and Pakistani military personnel. The precision with which soldiers from multiple regiments—including the Punjab Regiment, Northern Light Infantry, Sindh Regiment, Frontier Force Regiment, Baloch Regiment, and Azad Kashmir Regiment—were targeted highlights the sophistication of the Majeed Brigade and ZIRAB’s operational capabilities.
These recent attacks suggest that the BLA’s Majeed Brigade and intelligence wing, ZIRAB, will likely continue targeting military and economic interests of both Pakistan and foreign stakeholders, particularly those tied to China. Contrary to the assertions of Pakistani military officials, the intensity of the Baloch independence struggle appears set to escalate in Balochistan.