Hundreds of LPG bowsers stranded in Balochistan’s border town of Taftan will be escorted out under Pakistan Army security, officials said, after repeated attacks on the Quetta-Taftan highway affected fuel supplies and mineral transport.
District officials said security clearance had been issued and drivers had been told to keep their vehicles and documents ready for the convoy movement.
The bowsers will first be moved from Taftan towards Quetta and then sent onward to Punjab and other parts of Pakistan, officials said.
The disruption in LPG transport from Taftan has affected supplies to several areas, with reports of factory production being hit and prices rising in some places.
The convoy plan comes after repeated attacks on the Quetta-Taftan route, where Pakistani forces, mineral transport and cargo vehicles have been targeted in recent weeks.
The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed several attacks on highways in Balochistan, including the Quetta-Taftan route, as part of what it calls an “economic blockade.”
Transporters and traders have also halted loading on parts of the route, demanding security after attacks on cargo and mineral vehicles. Transport sources say more than 90 vehicles have been destroyed in recent attacks.
In a recent statement, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the group aimed to strike what he called the state’s “economic lifeline” by making its interests in Balochistan “insecure” and “unstable.”
“Until Balochistan is transformed into an inevitable economic burden for the occupying state, it is impossible to halt its blind military adventurism and the horrific cycle of Baloch genocide,” the BLA statement said.
The group also warned transport owners and drivers to avoid carrying fuel, supplies or logistics for companies it described as exploitative, and advised civilians to avoid travelling near military convoys, Pakistani forces and vehicles linked to such projects.