In the span of a week, Pakistan’s military faced two intense attacks in Balochistan, resulting in significant casualties. The first attack was carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in the Mashkaf area of Dhadar, where they targeted the Jaffer Express. More than 200 security personnel affiliated with various Pakistani military institutions were taken hostage and later killed during clashes. The second attack took place in Nushki, where the Majeed Brigade targeted an army convoy, causing dozens of fatalities.
Following the seizure of the Jaffer Express, intense clashes between the BLA and Pakistan’s military have been ongoing for several days. This incident could mark a turning point in the two-decade-long Baloch independence movement, as it was the first time the BLA seized a passenger train and took 200 military personnel hostage, engaging in prolonged combat. This could be considered an extraordinary battle in Baloch warfare history.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), declared in a press conference after the Jaffer Express attack that the “rules of war have changed” and that the BLA would face a severe response. However, just two days after this announcement, the deadly suicide attack on the military convoy in Nushki could be seen as the BLA’s message that they too are prepared to fight under these “changing rules.”
Contrary to the statements made by Pakistan’s military spokesperson and some government ministers—which seem disconnected from the ground realities in Balochistan—the evolving war scenario clearly indicates an intensification of the Baloch independence movement. The shifting strategies of Baloch militant organizations suggest that, in the future, Pakistan’s military, key economic installations, and foreign interests could face even more lethal attacks of this nature.