The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carried out the largest, most organised and most wide-ranging attacks in the history of the Baloch national armed struggle across key cities of Balochistan, as part of the second phase of Operation Herof. Fifty fighters from the BLA’s suicide unit, the Majeed Brigade, took part in these operations, is a remarkable episode in the history of warfare. The operation, which lasted six days, effectively paralysed the state’s writ across Balochistan during that period. The second phase of Operation Herof, spanning six days, is presented as evidence that the BLA possesses the capability to dismantle state authority in Balochistan and establish control.
By launching coordinated attacks on military camps of the Pakistan Army, police stations, intelligence offices and economic centres in twelve cities of strategic and economic importance, the BLA demonstrated its military capabilities on a large scale and dismantled the notion of Pakistan Army supremacy in Balochistan. Through these coordinated operations, the group also conveyed a message to the world that decision-making power in Balochistan lies with Baloch national institutions, and that neither investment in the region nor decisions imposed on the Baloch people are possible without their consent.
Simultaneous, coordinated operations involving thousands of fighters in Quetta, the central city of Balochistan, as well as in Gwadar, the hub of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor; and in Noshki and Chagai, cities linked to major global mining projects at Reko Diq and Saindak, are presented as evidence that the BLA does not face a shortage of manpower and the future attacks will be even more organised, broader in scope, and larger in scale.
The decision by the Canadian multinational mining company Barrick Gold to review all aspects of the Reko Diq project, citing the changing security situation and growing security concerns in Balochistan, is described as an acknowledgement of on-ground realities and of Baloch national strength.
The extensive and coordinated operations carried out across Balochistan over six days indicate that intense and decisive confrontations between the Pakistan Army and Baloch resistance fighters lie ahead, and that Operation Herof will play a central role in reshaping Balochistan’s political and military landscape.