The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday condemned the coordinated attacks carried out across Balochistan on 31 January, which it said killed 48 Pakistani nationals, including civilians, and called on member states to help bring those responsible to justice.
In a statement, the UNSC described the attacks as “heinous and cowardly,” expressing its “deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the people and government of Pakistan.”
The council also wished a speedy and full recovery to those injured in the attacks.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an armed group seeking independence for Balochistan claimed responsibility for the attacks, which were part of what the group described as the second phase of its “Operation Herof.”
In a statement issued earlier on Tuesday, the group said its “preliminary and cautious” estimates indicated that nearly 280 personnel of the Pakistani army, Frontier Corps, police, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and pro-government militias had been killed since the start of the operation on Saturday.
The group said its fighters continued to hold control in Nushki and several other areas of Balochistan, where clashes with Pakistani forces were ongoing.
The BLA also accused Pakistani forces of carrying out drone strikes and helicopter shelling on civilian areas “to conceal military failures,” alleging that several civilians had been killed. It said the strikes reflected what it described as “moral, military and political bankruptcy.”
Local sources confirmed to The Balochistan Post that civilians were among those killed in gunfire and drone strikes, including 12 people in Gwadar, one person in Tump, a young child, and at least ten passengers in Nushki.
The UNSC reaffirmed that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.”
It said it was crucial to “hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice,” urging all states to cooperate with the government of Pakistan in accordance with international law and relevant UNSC resolutions.
Baloch political and rights groups have repeatedly criticised international bodies for what they describe as an overreliance on state-provided narratives, arguing that allegations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and civilian harm during military operations in Balochistan remain largely unaddressed.
They argue that without addressing these issues, international institutions risk overlooking the conditions that have contributed to the escalation of the conflict in Balochistan.