A series of armed attacks were reported across Balochistan on Saturday, including the establishment of an armed checkpoint on a national highway, the killing of two alleged death squad operatives in Panjgur, and a string of attacks claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) in Jhao and Mastung.
Kalat: Armed Checkpoint Set Up on Karachi–Quetta Highway
On Saturday night, a group of armed men established a checkpoint on the Karachi–Quetta highway near Mehlabi, a few kilometres outside Kalat.
Sources said the armed men, equipped with modern weapons, began stopping and inspecting vehicles travelling along the main route. No arrests or casualties were reported.
While no group has claimed responsibility, similar checkpoints have previously been set up by Baloch “pro-independence” armed groups.
Analysts say such armed inspections and blockades reflect the shifting balance of power in parts of Balochistan, where state authority is increasingly being challenged. “These operations are not just tactical—they represent both military and political statements,” one analyst told The Balochistan Post on condition of anonymity.
Panjgur: Two ‘Death Squad’ Operatives Killed
In a separate incident late Saturday night, two individuals were killed in an armed attack in the Gomazin area of Panjgur district.
Police identified the deceased as Mulla Amir and Amanullah, both residents of Chitkan. Local sources said that the men were affiliated with a state-backed armed group commonly referred to as a “death squad.”
A large cache of weapons was reportedly seized at the scene. The bodies were transferred to Teaching Hospital Panjgur for legal formalities. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
BLF Claims Attacks in Mastung and Jhao
Meanwhile, the Balochistan Liberation Front claimed responsibility for a grenade attack on the residence of the Deputy Commissioner in Mastung, carried out on 16 May.
In a statement released Saturday, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said the attack was carried out “to warn the Deputy Commissioner against allowing the civil administration to become a tool of the occupying army and brutal intelligence agencies.”
The group added that if such collaboration continued, “serious consequences” would follow. It reaffirmed its commitment to targeting “Pakistan’s colonial exploitative projects and administrative machinery.”
The BLF also claimed responsibility for an assault on a Pakistani military camp in the Koto area of Jhao on the night of 16 May.
According to the statement, BLF fighters launched a two-directional attack using rockets and heavy weapons, killing three soldiers and injuring several others.
The operation, the group said, lasted a “considerable amount of time” and was launched from close range.
“Our armed resistance will continue until the independence of Balochistan is achieved,” the statement concluded.
There had been no official confirmation of the reported casualties from Pakistani military sources at the time of publication.