A fresh wave of armed attacks has struck in various districts of Balochistan, as unidentified militants launched coordinated assaults on government installations, security forces, and non-local civilians. The operations, centred around Kech, Panjgur, and Lasbela districts, reflect a rapidly weakening security situation.
In Kech district’s Hoshab tehsil, heavily armed men stormed the town late last night, seizing brief control of the area. They torched the Levies station and the local office of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) after overtaking both facilities. Eyewitnesses reported road blockades and an increased presence of gunmen on key roads. There are also unconfirmed reports of multiple individuals being detained by the attackers. The identities of the detained have not been ascertained yet.
Simultaneously, in Panjgur district, unidentified armed individuals established blockades in the Washbod and Bonistan areas. In Washbod, the attackers intercepted a police convoy, disarmed officers, and set fire to two police vehicles. A police station was later overrun, weapons were taken, and the station was burned. In Bonistan, there are emerging reports of similar roadblocks and an attack on a police post. It has also been suggested that members of a state-backed militia known as the “death squad” may have come under assault.
While the scale and coordination of these attacks resemble previous operations carried out by pro-independence Baloch armed groups, no organisation has yet claimed responsibility for the Kech and Panjgur operations as of this report.
In a separate but likely related incident, three non-local men were shot dead in Uthal, Lasbela district. The victims – a barber and two others reportedly from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – were gunned down by unidentified assailants. One person was injured and later moved to Karachi for treatment. Police have launched an investigation, but the motives behind the attack remain unclear.
These incidents occur amid a rising independence movement in Balochistan, led by the Baloch nationalist armed forces, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has adopted more aggressive and sophisticated tactics over the past few years.
The BLA, a prominent pro-independence group, has repeatedly seized brief control of strategic towns and highways to assert their presence and undermine state authority.
Past BLA operations include:
Mangocher (May 2025): The group captured the local market, set government offices and banks on fire, and disrupted traffic on the Quetta-Karachi highway.
Zehri, Khuzdar (January 2025): Armed fighters looted a bank, torched NADRA and Levies offices, and withdrew before reinforcements arrived.
Kalat district (January 2025): Over 100 militants stormed military camps and seized control of key routes and security posts in a rare large-scale rural offensive.
Bolan Pass (March 2025): In one of its boldest operations, BLA hijacked the Jaffar Express train, taking over 200 hostages and demanding the release of political prisoners. The standoff ended with casualties on both sides.
Security analysts warn that the BLA’s evolving strategy — shifting from hit-and-run guerrilla attacks to the temporary occupation of urban and strategic areas — is designed to symbolically challenge Pakistani authority and highlight grievances over political exclusion, enforced disappearances, and exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources; ultimately, “regain Balochistan’s independence”
As of now, security forces have yet to reclaim full control of the affected areas in Kech and Panjgur, and the situation remains tense. Further developments are expected as the state responds to this latest wave of attacks.