In the wake of Pakistan’s claimed “precision” airstrike on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) targets in Kabul, regional observers have been quick to question both the success and the strategic wisdom of the operation. The strike, touted as a bold move against terrorism, may have far-reaching consequences beyond the immediate tactical objective. While Islamabad celebrates a symbolic show of force, the reality on the ground could spell deeper instability for Pakistan itself, with ripple effects across Afghanistan, the Pashtun belt, and regional geopolitics involving China, Russia, India, and the United States.

Now let us dissect Pakistan’s motivations, missteps, and the broader implications of this operation, arguing that the strike may have accelerated Pakistan’s loss of influence in Afghanistan, while emboldening militant factions and straining regional fault lines further.

Let us assume that the TTP leader(ship) has been eliminated – so what, the group is without leadership for now! Then what, new leadership will emerge and that’s how it has always been. The group will prevail and grow.

Reports to the contrary suggest that Noor Wali Meshud has survived, so what – the strikes were just symbolic and unsuccessful! Then what, the scale and intensity of actions and operations by TTP in Pakistan especially in KPK province is going to skyrocket.

Neutralising terrorist leadership may delay terrorism but is not going to stop it.

Pakistan has just implemented India’s playbook. They are good and fast learners.

Timing and location of these strikes has just ensured the snapping the last thread of leverage that Pakistan and ISI had with Taliban. They have a more hostile neighbour to their west than to their east. This will have serious ramifications in terms of Pakistan – Afghanistan relationship, role of Afghan refugees within Pakistan, Pashtun dynamics in the region and involvement of extra regional players. Pakistan just lost Afghanistan.

Somewhere a hunch in me suggests the involvement of a likely pro Pakistan faction of Taliban in enabling these strikes – may be the Haqqanis! If it is them – the wedge between different factions of Taliban widens. Either they get into a fight in disarray or the pro Pakistan factions will be eliminated. If this hunch of mine isn’t true, then Pakistan has lost any semblance of leverage over any faction within Taliban.

This strike doesn’t bode well for the interests of China and Russia in this region, and they won’t take it lightly. What happens to Trump’s greed for Bagram base? No idea – but one thing is sure – intel and surveillance support for this strike for sure has come from the Americans. This makes the regional dynamics more complex.

With the acting FM of Afghanistan in India, India will hedge with a statement castigating Pakistan for violating the sovereignty of Afghanistan but will have a wide field for play in the covert background. Our leverage will further increase with and in Afghanistan (read Taliban). We should quietly secure and grow our interests in Kabul (rest is better unsaid here).

Prognosis

Taliban will up the anti-Pakistan ante in Kabul. Pakistan will support ISKP against Taliban (NRF is a small inconsequential player as of now). TTP will intensify its actions and operations in KPK and Balochistan. Pakistan is going to see a wild-wild West. Afghanistan will again witness a complex turmoil and so will western provinces of Pakistan. We should just cement our interests and watch the play unfolding with popcorn in our hand, without losing sight of internal security within Bharat. TTP leader eliminated or alive doesn’t matter – TTP ideology has survived much more than these strikes and is still alive and until Pakistan stops supporting any form terrorism, it will remain a victim to the same of its own doing.

Kautilya is a defence enthusiast.

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The post A Strategic Blunder: How Pakistan’s Kabul Strike Accelerates Its Regional Decline appeared first on The Commune.

On 2 September 2025, Quetta once again became the stage of brutal violence when a suicide bomber struck a rally of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 30. The Islamic State Pakistan Province (ISPP), a branch of the so-called Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), immediately claimed responsibility.

For many outside observers, this seemed like yet another tragic terror attack in Pakistan’s most volatile province. But for those who have long tracked the patterns of violence in Balochistan, it represented something far more disturbing: the culmination of years of Pakistani state policy that has deliberately allowed transnational jihadist groups to grow while targeting nationalist voices demanding rights for Baloch people.

The attack was not a random act of terror; it was the product of a strategy that has repeatedly favored militant Islamists over secular, nationalist, and democratic movements. For decades, the Pakistan Army and its intelligence wings have seen Baloch nationalism as a greater threat than extremist religious militancy. The demands of the Baloch people have consistently centered on political autonomy, economic justice, and an end to the exploitation of their land and resources by Islamabad.

Rather than responding with dialogue or reforms, the state has unleashed waves of military operations, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and a policy of divide-and-rule. In this environment of repression, international jihadist organizations have been given either tacit approval or outright support to act as counterweights against the Baloch struggle.

Groups like ISKP-ISPP thrive precisely because the Pakistani military establishment sees them as useful tools to weaken and delegitimize Baloch nationalist forces. The Quetta bombing of September 2025 was a direct reflection of this cynical calculation. The target was not a military installation or a state office but a political gathering of BNP-M, one of the largest and most moderate nationalist parties in the province.

BNP-M has historically chosen the path of electoral politics, working within Pakistan’s constitutional framework despite systemic discrimination against the Baloch. Yet even this moderate nationalism is intolerable for a military establishment that wishes to crush any sense of Baloch identity or demands for autonomy. By allowing ISKP-ISPP to operate in Balochistan, the Pakistan Army effectively enables attacks against groups like BNP-M while keeping its own hands clean.

The narrative then becomes one of “global terrorism”, not state repression, and the Army continues to claim legitimacy as the sole guarantor of Pakistan’s stability. The historical record is full of evidence pointing to the way Pakistan’s military rulers have used extremist groups as instruments of policy. From the Taliban in Afghanistan to sectarian outfits in Punjab, the Army has consistently backed those who espouse religious fanaticism while treating ethnic nationalists and secular activists as existential enemies.

In Balochistan, this strategy has been devastating. While entire villages are bulldozed in counterinsurgency campaigns and thousands of young men vanish into the dungeons of intelligence agencies, madrassas and extremist outfits are given space to expand. It is therefore no coincidence that ISKP-ISPP was able to establish strongholds in Balochistan despite the heavy presence of the Army and Frontier Corps.

The Pakistani state is quick to crush any sign of Baloch dissent but mysteriously incapable of dismantling the networks of radical jihadists who openly pledge allegiance to ISIS. The BNP-M rally attack illustrates the security vacuum that Pakistan has deliberately cultivated. Quetta is one of the most heavily militarized cities in the country, with checkpoints, intelligence posts, and Army patrols everywhere.

For a suicide bomber to reach a political rally and detonate himself in such an environment shows either colossal incompetence or, more plausibly, complicity. The Army’s history suggests the latter. By enabling jihadists to target Baloch groups, the military establishment ensures that nationalist politics remains delegitimized, associated with violence, and deprived of any safe space to flourish.

Every time ISKP-ISPP strikes in Balochistan, the ultimate beneficiaries are the generals in Rawalpindi, who use the chaos to tighten their grip and deflect international scrutiny from their abuses. The Pakistan Army’s duplicity becomes clearer when one examines its propaganda. On one hand, the military paints itself as fighting terrorism, seeking billions in aid and weapons from foreign powers under the guise of counterterrorism. On the other, it has a long record of nurturing and tolerating terrorist organizations as proxies.

This duality is central to its strategy in Balochistan. When Baloch nationalists organize peaceful rallies or demand a fair share of resources from gas fields and Gwadar port, they are met with bullets and abductions. When jihadist groups target those same nationalists, the state shrugs, hides behind claims of helplessness, and often refuses to investigate meaningfully. Such selective repression is not accidental but systematic policy. The human cost of this policy is immense. Families in Balochistan live under constant fear, not only of Army raids but also of extremist bombings.

Political life is suffocated from both directions. The BNP-M attack is only one in a series of violent incidents where secular or nationalist actors have borne the brunt of terrorist violence while the state looks the other way. Journalists who try to expose these links face censorship, threats, and exile. Human rights activists are silenced under draconian laws.

Meanwhile, the Army continues to present itself as the victim of “foreign conspiracies” while engaging in its own brutal repression at home. The rise of ISKP-ISPP in Pakistan cannot be separated from the Army’s regional games. With the Taliban returning to power in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s military establishment initially celebrated, believing it had regained “strategic depth.”

But that move has backfired, as ISKP has positioned itself as the Taliban’s rival, seeking recruits in Pakistan’s own backyard. Rather than genuinely confronting this threat, the Army seems to have redirected it against the Baloch. In doing so, it not only undermines the Baloch struggle but also exposes the entire region to the dangers of an expanding ISIS affiliate.

This reckless gamble shows how deeply entrenched the Pakistan Army’s hostility toward Baloch nationalism is, that it would risk international terrorism spreading further just to weaken an ethnic movement seeking autonomy. The BNP-M bombing reveals the hollowness of Pakistan’s counterterrorism claims.

If the state cannot protect a peaceful political rally in the heart of Quetta, then what exactly is the purpose of the massive military infrastructure in the province? The answer lies in priorities: the Army is not in Balochistan to protect its people but to control its resources and crush dissent. Gas, copper, gold, and the strategic coastline of Gwadar are what truly matter to Rawalpindi.

The people themselves are expendable, whether they are victims of enforced disappearances by soldiers or bombings by jihadists. The Army’s collaboration—active or passive—with ISKP-ISPP is simply another layer of exploitation against a people who have been treated as colonial subjects within their own land. The international community must recognize this reality. Treating Pakistan solely as a partner in counterterrorism is a dangerous illusion.

The Quetta bombing should be read as a warning that the Pakistan Army’s games with jihadists are far from over. By enabling ISKP-ISPP to target Baloch groups, the Army is exporting instability beyond its borders, as these groups inevitably link up with transnational networks. Allowing this duplicity to go unchecked only emboldens the generals who thrive on perpetual crises.

For the Baloch, however, the message is devastating. Even participation in electoral politics, as BNP-M has attempted, cannot guarantee safety from terror. The Army’s strategy leaves them trapped between the hammer of military repression and the anvil of jihadist violence. This is by design, as it seeks to erode the very possibility of a political solution to the Baloch question. In such an environment, more young Baloch may feel driven to abandon peaceful politics altogether, further fueling conflict.

The real responsibility for this lies not with the victims but with the state that has weaponized extremism for its own survival. The September 2025 attack should therefore not be viewed as an isolated atrocity but as part of a structural pattern of state behavior. The Pakistan Army, far from being the protector of the nation, has become its greatest destabilizer.

By fostering jihadist groups while crushing nationalist ones, it has turned Balochistan into a battleground where the voices of its people are drowned out by explosions and gunfire. Until this militarized policy is confronted, both within Pakistan and internationally, the cycle of violence will continue.

The BNP-M rally bombing is a grim reminder that Pakistan’s generals are not interested in peace, stability, or democracy in Balochistan. Their interest lies in domination, and for that they will collaborate with any force, no matter how extremist, as long as it helps them maintain their grip. The blood spilled in Quetta is therefore not only on the hands of ISKP-ISPP but also on the hands of the Pakistan Army, whose policies created the conditions for this attack.

As long as Rawalpindi views Baloch nationalism as an existential enemy and jihadists as useful instruments, the people of Balochistan will remain trapped in a cycle of state repression and extremist terror. The world must finally call out this dangerous duplicity, for the price of silence is paid in human lives.

-IANS

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For decades, Pakistan’s military establishment has fostered and harboured jihadist groups as tools of regional strategy to silence Baloch voices of resistance against Islamabad’s atrocities, a report said on 8 September.

The Islamic State Pakistan Province (ISPP), an offshoot of the terrorist organisation ISIS-Khorasan Province (ISKP), which claimed responsibility for the September 2 suicide attack on the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) rally in Quetta, exposed the alarming and serious security vacuum Pakistan has allowed to deepen in Balochistan, according to a report published in The Balochistan Post.

It further stated that the attack, which claimed at least 14 people and injured more than 30, is not an isolated incident but the result of years of Pakistan’s policies aimed at destabilising Balochistan and creating a breeding ground for global terrorist outfits.

“These same forces have now turned inward, directly targeting ethnic nationalists, progressives, and critics of the state. ISKP’s propaganda, particularly the booklet Qaumiyat Ka Fareb (The Deception of Nationalism), makes clear that Baloch, Pashtun, and progressive voices are seen as threats equal to, if not greater than, foreign powers,” the report read.

The report further stated that the “overlap between the ISKP’s declared enemies, which align with Pakistan’s own adversaries — BNP-M, BYC, Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) — raises the uncomfortable question: who benefits when these groups are silenced?” Calling the Quetta bombing the latest incident in the pattern, adopted by Islamabad to weaken Balochistan’s fight, the report noted, “From the March 2025 attempt on BNP-M leaders in Mastung, to ISKP’s explicit threats against the BLA, BLF, and BYC, the militant agenda appears increasingly aligned with Pakistan’s long-standing campaign to weaken Baloch resistance.”

The report cited documents recovered in Kabul during an operation against ISKP by Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) last year, and said that these mentioned the terror outfit’s “hitlist” of prominent critics of Islamabad, including Akhtar Mengal and Dr. Mahrang Baloch. “It is difficult to ignore that these very individuals are also the central civilian opposition to Pakistan’s military dominance in Balochistan,” the report further added.

The Balochistan Post report also mentioned that Baloch fighters destroyed an ISKP camp in Mastung, killing dozens of terrorists, which it claimed, reflects that nationalist groups are “directly opposed to rather than aligned” with international jihadism. Rather than safeguarding its citizens, the report said, Islamabad has repeatedly placed greater emphasis on targeting nationalist movements over destroying transnational terrorist infrastructure.

It said that through this selective approach, space has been created for the terror organisation ISIS to gain a foothold in Balochistan, making it into a new theatre of conflict. According to the report, the Quetta attack is not just an act of terrorism, but a part of a “broader convergence of interests between Pakistan’s establishment and ISIS affiliates in silencing dissenting, pro-independence, and democratic Baloch voices.” “Unless this nexus is broken, Balochistan risks becoming not just a battleground between nationalists and the Pakistani military, but also a staging ground for international jihadists who exploit the very chaos Pakistan has engineered,” the report noted.

-IANS

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A Baloch family protesting the enforced disappearance of their son by Pakistani forces continued their sit-in at Karachi Press Club for the 34th consecutive day, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said on Sunday. BYC stated that Zahid Ali’s family, demanding his safe release, continues to hold the protest despite his father Abdul Hameed’s worsening health condition.

According to BYC, Ali, 25, a student of Karachi University, was “forcibly disappeared” on July 17. “Day 34: Zahid Ali’s Protest Camp Continues at Karachi Press Club. Today marks the 34th consecutive day of the sit-in camp by the family of Zahid Ali, a 25-year-old IR student of Karachi University, who was forcibly disappeared along with his rickshaw on 17 July 2025. Despite his father Abdul Hameed’s worsening health condition, the family continues their protest with steadfast determination, demanding Zahid’s immediate and safe release.

Their struggle is a painful reminder of the ongoing wave of enforced disappearances that continues to tear apart families in Karachi and Balochistan,” BYC posted on X. On Saturday, BYC condemned the extrajudicial killing of Mullah Bahram, a resident of Kech district’s Koh Dagar, who was shot dead by “state-backed death squads” on Saturday.

The rights body stated that the incident showcased a pattern of consecutive targeted killings in the area. In a statement shared on Saturday on X, BYC stated: “Mullah Bahram, son of Abdul Ghafoor and a resident of Koh Dagar, sub-tehsil Mand, district Kech, was shot dead by state-backed death squads on the afternoon of September 6, 2025. This incident occurred within hours of the killing of Izhar, another youth resident of Mand, underscoring a pattern of consecutive targeted killings in the area.

According to eyewitnesses, the perpetrators were members of state-backed death squads operating under the command of the Pakistani forces and law enforcement agencies.” The rights group also condemned the extrajudicial killing of a Baloch teenager by Pakistan Army-backed death squads in Balochistan, which continue to target students, activists, and political opponents across the province. It mentioned that Izhar Mujeeb, a resident of Kech district, was shot dead by the Pakistan army’s death squads in Mand on Saturday.

Citing reports, the rights body stated that death squads opened fire on Izhar while he was at his shop in the morning. He was rushed to the hospital after sustaining critical injuries, but succumbed due to excessive bleeding. “Izhar, son of Mullah Mujeeb and a resident of Lebanon sub-tehsil, Mand (district Kech), was shot dead by state-backed death squads in the Soro area of Mand on September 6, 2025. According to reports, state-backed death squads opened fire on Izhar while he was at his shop earlier in the morning. He was rushed to the hospital after sustaining critical injuries, but succumbed due to excessive bleeding. Local sources confirm that the perpetrators were state-backed death squads operating under the command of Pakistani forces,” BYC posted on X.

–IANS

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The United States formally designating the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTO) and US President Donald Trump announcing US investment in oil exploration in Balochistan not only reinforces America’s commitment to counter international terrorism but also limits China’s ability to use security concerns as a justification for expanding its physical presence in the region under the cover of protecting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a renowned international analyst reckoned on Wednesday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday designated the BLA and its front organisation the Majeed Brigade as FTOs, asserting that action taken by the Department of State demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to countering terrorism. Last month, Washington had officially designated The Resistance Front (TRF) as a FTO and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) validating India’s longstanding stance that the TRF is not an indigenous militant group, but a proxy for the Pakistan-based jihadi organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which was established to cover up Pakistan’s continued patronisation of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

These back-to-back designations, John Spencer, the Executive Director at the US-based Urban Warfare Institute, wrote on Wednesday show that the United States under President Trump is committed to confronting terrorism wherever it occurs.

“They also highlight Pakistan’s double standards. Islamabad continues to shelter and enable LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and other anti-India terrorist groups while demanding global sympathy for its own insurgencies. The same state that claims to be a victim of terrorism has been one of its most consistent sponsors,” Spencer wrote in an article titled ‘Why US Terrorist Designations in Balochistan Matter for India and the Region’ which he also shared with his followers on X.

The leading American defence analyst believes that the Trump administration’s “firm approach” to both TRF and BLA confirms that New Delhi’s warnings about Pakistan’s duplicity are gaining traction in Washington. “For the United States, the designations serve multiple interests. They strengthen America’s credibility as a global leader against terrorism, they counter China’s push to expand its security presence in Pakistan, they safeguard prospective US energy and mineral investments in Balochistan, and they contribute to stability along critical maritime and trade routes in the Arabian Sea. These moves also align US and Indian objectives in exposing and isolating Pakistan’s support for militant groups,” said Spencer.

Located on Pakistan’s southwestern edge, bordering Afghanistan to the north, Iran to the west, and the Arabian Sea to the south, Balochistan is the largest province in Pakistan, covering half of the country’s area and home to just about 12 million people.

“Its terrain combines rugged mountain ranges, desert plateaus, and a 770-kilometre coastline that includes the deep-water port of Gwadar. The province is rich in natural gas, coal, copper, gold, and rare earth minerals. Despite this abundance, it remains one of the poorest and least developed regions in South Asia, with high unemployment, low literacy, and minimal infrastructure,” Spencer highlighted. Balochistan, located at the tri-junction of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia, is one of the most geopolitically and economically significant regions in the world.

With over 1,000 kilometres of coastline along the Arabian Sea and proximity to key maritime seamless trade routes, it is a natural gateway to Central Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Earlier this month, leading Baloch human rights defender Mir Yar Baloch had written an open letter to India’s Public and Government sector companies, urging Indian partnership to unlock the “vast potential” of Balochistan as beneath its rugged terrain lies untapped treasure: trillions of dollars worth of rare earth minerals, gold, copper, oil, coal, lithium, and natural gas and, despite this immense wealth, decades of exploitation and occupation have left the region underdeveloped.

“For India, Balochistan’s unrest is both a moral and strategic concern. Morally, the Baloch people deserve international attention for the severe abuses they face, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and systematic denial of political rights. Strategically, instability in Balochistan undermines the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Growing discontent over Chinese exploitation of the province’s mineral wealth has triggered repeated BLA attacks against Chinese nationals and Pakistani security forces,” asserts Spencer.

“In response, China has opened talks with Pakistan to form a joint security venture to protect its investments and personnel. Reports indicate that Beijing is keen to place its own security forces on the ground in Pakistan, following a model it recently operationalized in Myanmar under the pretext of safeguarding infrastructure projects during that country’s civil war,” he adds.

However, the urban warfare expert emphasised, lasting peace in Balochistan will only come when Pakistan abandons military repression in favour of political dialogue, equitable resource sharing, and respect for rights.

“Until that day, Balochistan will remain a fracture in Pakistan’s sovereignty, a pressure point for China’s regional ambitions, and a vivid counterpoint to Pakistan’s rhetoric on Kashmir,” he believes.

-IANS

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At least three Baloch youth were forcibly disappeared by the Pakistani forces in the latest wave of enforced disappearance across Balochistan as the cycle of persecution continues in the region, a leading human rights organisation said on Tuesday.

Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, mentioned that Pakistani security forces carried out a violent raid on the residence of Sadiq Baloch, a school teacher in Kech district of Balochistan.

During the operation, women and children in the household were physically assaulted. The rights body stated that “in a blatant act of repression”, the forces forcibly disappeared Sadiq’s young son, Sanjar Sadiq.

In a similar incident, Paank highlighted on Tuesday that Pakistani forces detained and forcibly disappeared Dadshah Baloch, a medical assistant affiliated with the health sector, from Singabad, while he was returning home from duty in Turbat, the main city of the Kech district of Balochistan.

Additionally, the rights body stated that Shunas Baloch, a resident of Sari Kallag in Kech’s Gowarkop area, was forcibly detained by the security forces, on August 2.

“Earlier, he, along with others in a local car, was stopped at Pidrak Check Post for around an hour and asked unnecessary questions. When they were permitted to go, their way was then blocked a few minutes later, and he was arrested illegally by the forces. Until now, his whereabouts have not been disclosed to his family, nor has he been produced before a formal court of law,” Paank stated.

In early hours on Monday, the rights body stated that Zahid, a resident of Kuros Tank, in Kech district, was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces from Pakeer Colony in Gwadar. His whereabouts still remain unknown. Revealing another incident of violence against a Baloch youth, Paank stated that Shah Jahan Murad was executed in police custody and dumped in Panjgur district of the province on Monday.

“He was forcibly disappeared by the security forces from the Chitkan area of Panjgur on 29 July 2025. After severe torture in custody, his lifeless body was dumped. We are observing a rise in the cases of in-custody murders, which is ingesting our people,” the rights body stated.

The human rights body denounced “such murders and demand accountability at the international level against the various forms of Baloch genocide,” including the present-day in-custody murders after forcibly disappearing the Baloch.

Pank strongly condemned the latest incident of enforced disappearance and expressed grave concern over the growing trend of abductions targetting Baloch students and civilians.

-IANS

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Just after US President Donald Trump announced to help Pakistan develop its “massive oil reserve,” leading Baloch human rights defender Mir Yar Baloch wrote to the American President, stating that military leadership in Islamabad have gravely misled the US administration regarding the “true geography and ownership” of Pakistan’s resources. He stated that the oil reserves are in Balochistan and not in Punjab.

This came after President Trump, on his social media platform, announced that the US and Pakistan have finalised an agreement to collaborate in developing the oil reserves in the South Asian country. Mir Yar Baloch asserted that Trump’s recognition of the oil and mineral reserves in the region is “indeed accurate.”

However, the human rights activist mentioned that the untapped reserves of oil, natural gas, copper, lithium, uranium, and rare earth minerals are “not located within the territories of Punjab which is the actual Pakistan,” but they belong to the “Republic of Balochistan, a historically sovereign nation currently under illegal occupation by Pakistan.”

Mir Yar Baloch stressed that the claim that these resources belong to Pakistan is not only “false,” but a “deliberate attempt to misappropriate Balochistan’s wealth for political and financial gain.” “Allowing Pakistan’s radicalised military, and rogue ISI known for sponsoring Al-Qaeda and various proxy groups responsible for the deaths of thousands of US soldiers in Afghanistan, to exploit Balochistan’s trillion-dollar reserves of rare earth minerals would be a grave strategic mistake.

Such access would significantly enhance the operational and financial capabilities of the ISI, enabling it to expand its global terror networks, recruit more militants, and potentially facilitate large-scale attacks reminiscent of 9/11,” said the human rights activist.

Raising concern, he stated that the profits from “Balochistan’s stolen resources” would not benefit its people — they would be funnelled into strengthening “anti-India and anti-Israel jihadist proxies,” further destabilising South Asia and the broader international order.

Mir Yar Baloch emphasised that preventing Pakistan’s “exploitation” of Balochistan is not just a matter of justice for the Baloch people; it is also a matter of global security. “There is no doubt: Balochistan is not for sale. We will not permit Pakistan, China, or any other foreign power to exploit our land or its resources without the explicit consent of the Baloch people. Our sovereignty is non-negotiable, and our struggle for rightful ownership and independence continues with dignity and resilience,” he stated.

He called on the international community, including the United States, to support the rightful aspirations of the Baloch people for freedom and control over their homeland and natural resources.

-IANS

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A 15-year-old Baloch teenager was forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces from Kech district in Balochistan, amid an ongoing wave of enforced disappearances across the province, said a leading human rights organisation on 29 July 2025.

Raising concerns, Paank, the Baloch National Movement’s Human Rights Department, said that on 24 July, 15-year-old Qamber Fida was abducted from his house in the Tump tehsil of Kech district in Meerabad. “His abduction without charge or due process is a clear violation of international human rights law and constitutes a crime under the definition of enforced disappearance,” the rights body said.

Paank strongly denounced the “ongoing crimes against humanity” in Balochistan, including “arbitrary detentions, disappearances, and repression of dissent”.

The human rights body called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Qamber Fida and ensure his safety, saying that “all enforced disappearances must end, and those responsible must be held accountable”. “The rights to life, liberty, and security must be upheld without exception. Baloch lives matter, and the world must not stay silent,” Paank asserted.

Meanwhile, another human rights organisation, Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), on 29 July, demanded an immediate end to the mental and physical torture of a political activist, Imran Baloch, by the Pakistani authorities in Gwadar Jail of the province. “Baloch political activist Imran Baloch was detained four months ago under the ‘Maintenance of Public Order (3 MPO)’ and transferred to Gwadani Jail, where he remains imprisoned. Imran Baloch is being deprived of basic human rights in jail. Not only are medical facilities not being provided to him, but Imran is also being subjected to severe mental and physical torture,” said a statement issued by BYC.

“He is under constant surveillance day and night, and he is kept confined in a single room for 24 hours, where basic necessities such as light, fresh air, and proper food are not available. Imran Baloch is not allowed to meet with his lawyers or family, and he is being kept completely uninformed about his health condition, which has put his life at serious risk,” the statement added. The BYC appealed to human rights organisations to take notice of this “inhumane treatment” by Pakistani authorities and play their role in ensuring the “immediate and safe release of Imran Baloch”.

-IANS

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Leading Baloch human rights defender Mir Yar Baloch on 28 July 2025 wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, commending the unity of the Indian people and the government’s steadfast stance against Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism.

This letter came ahead of the debate on Operation Sindoor, scheduled to be held post-noon later in the day in Parliament.

In the letter, Baloch wrote, “We, the sixty million Baloch people of the Republic of Balochistan, extend our heartfelt message to our 1.4 billion Indian brothers and sisters. On the occasion of today’s parliamentary debate on Operation Sindoor, we express our profound admiration for the unwavering unity of the Indian people, the resolute and principled stance of the Government of India against Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism, and the visionary decision by the opposition to stand in solidarity with the government and armed forces at this critical juncture.”

Mir Yar Baloch also appreciated the extraordinary courage and professionalism of the Indian Armed Forces, the “responsible and patriotic role” of the Indian media, and the nation’s collective success in confronting and overcoming “Pakistan’s military and psychological aggression.”

Stressing the “enduring India-Balochistan bonds of friendship,” the human rights activist urged recognition of the “invaluable historical relationship” in the Indian Parliament.

“This sentiment is not only a testament to our shared past but also echoes the aspirations and convictions of the Indian populace,” the letter added.

Mir Yar Baloch highlighted that in the aftermath of the temporary pause in Operation Sindoor, “Pakistan’s occupying forces have unleashed a renewed wave of brutality” upon the people of Balochistan.

The letter mentioned that these brutal actions carried out by the Pakistani forces are a “direct reprisal” for the principled stance of the Baloch people, who have “chosen to stand in solidarity with the citizens of India”.

“Our letter is a powerful reminder of India’s role in standing up for oppressed people and resisting tyranny in our neighbourhood. The Baloch people have consistently looked toward India as a beacon of hope, and their unwavering support for our sovereignty, particularly during events like Operation Sindoor, deserves a principled response from your leadership,” said the human rights activist.

He also detailed a series of strategies that Balochistan can help India with, including ending Pakistan’s access to the Arabian Sea via Gwadar and disrupting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which he called “a direct threat to India’s sovereignty and security.”

The letter also mentioned that Balochistan is rich in resources and can offer India direct trade routes to Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe through an independent corridor.

Mentioning Balochistan’s sacred Hinglaj Mata Mandir, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas and one of the most revered Hindu pilgrimages, the human rights leader said, “The Baloch people have protected it despite Pakistani attempts to radicalise the region, showcasing their commitment to pluralism and cultural respect.”

He also stated that the Baloch oppose the same terrorist groups that target India.

In the letter, Mir Yar Baloch mentioned the history of Balochistan, highlighting its transition from an independent country in 1947 to its “forcible annexation” by Pakistan in 1948.

He explained that since that time, the Baloch population has endured immense suffering, including mass abductions, extrajudicial killings, aerial bombardments, and systemic cultural repression. However, he said that people there “remain grounded in secular, democratic, and nationalist principles.”

Balochistan seeks “not only freedom from oppression but a future of peace, equality, and cooperation with democratic neighbours, most importantly, India,” the human rights activist mentioned.

Highlighting India’s message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), the human rights defender called on Speaker Om Birla to raise this issue during the Parliamentary session on Monday and lend support for the freedom and dignity of the Baloch people.

To,
Shri Om Birla,
Hon’ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha,
Parliament House,
Sansad Marg,
New Delhi – 110001,

Date: 28 July, 2025
Subject: Operation Sindoor and Unconditional Moral Support From Balochistan

Respected Shri Om Birla Ji,
Namaskar,
We, the sixty million Baloch people… pic.twitter.com/nEk0c42Z6h

— Mir Yar Baloch (@miryar_baloch) July 28, 2025

(With inputs from IANS)

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The post Balochistan Extends Support To Indian Parliament Debate On Operation Sindoor appeared first on The Commune.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) on Thursday condemned the murder of Fahad Lehri, a student of Balochistan, calling it a continuation of Pakistan’s “kill and dump” policy to suppress the Baloch identity. In a statement, the BYC stated that Fahad, a student and resident of Mastung, Balochistan, was forcibly disappeared on 4 May, and his bullet-riddled body was discovered in the same region on Wednesday.

“The ‘kill and dump’ policy has become an institutionalised method of silencing Baloch voices. From students and labourers to political workers and artists, no one is safe. Fahad was neither presented in court nor allowed legal recourse; his only “crime” was being a Baloch youth in a region where identity alone is deemed a threat,” read the statement.

“This ongoing strategy of targeting young Baloch men is intended not only to eliminate those who might question the state but to instil fear deep within Baloch society. Fahad Lehri now joins a long list of names, victims whose lives were erased without trial, whose families continue to mourn in the shadows of state violence,” the statement added.

Highlighting the brutality of Pakistan, the Baloch forum stated that even in grief, it will not remain silent. “The people of Balochistan will continue to resist this brutality through our voices, our truth, and our collective memory. The bullets may bury bodies, but they cannot erase the will of a people determined to live with dignity and justice,” said the statement.

The BYC in another statement also revealed that a 7-year-old girl, Rokia Baloch, died on Thursday after she was fatally shot a few days ago while sleeping outside her home in Khudabadan, a town in District Panjgur, Balochistan. Highlighting the incident, it stated that in the early hours on Monday, personnel from Pakistan’s Frontier Corps (FC) indiscriminately opened fire in the area, and a bullet struck Rokia in the abdomen while she was asleep.

The child was immediately rushed to the hospital in Panjgur and later referred to the District Headquarters Hospital in Kech (Turbat), and despite efforts by her family, she succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, the BYC stated. “The tragedy was compounded by the dire condition of the healthcare facility. Upon admission, there was no proper oxygen supply, no emergency medicines, no functioning air conditioning, and no reliable electricity. These life-saving necessities were absent, reflecting the systemic neglect and underdevelopment of Balochistan’s public services, especially in critical healthcare,” read the statement by the BYC.

“This is not an isolated incident. Such acts of indiscriminate violence by state forces have become a recurring reality in Balochistan. In the aftermath of attacks or confrontations, it is often the civilian population, including children, women, and the elderly, who bear the brunt of state retaliation,” the statement read. “The ongoing militarisation of civilian areas, the impunity enjoyed by security forces, and the systematic denial of basic rights have created a humanitarian crisis in Balochistan that demands international attention,” the statement further added.

The BYC urged international human rights organisations, medical humanitarian groups, and global civil society to acknowledge and act against this violence, stating that Rokia’s name joins a long list of innocent lives lost not to conflict, but to state-sponsored brutality.

-IANS

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The post ‘Kill And Dump’ Continues As Fahad Lehri And 7-Year-Old Baloch Girl Rokia Become Latest Victims Of Pakistan-Backed Brutality In Balochistan appeared first on The Commune.