Pakistan’s military jingoism is far from over. Despite being taken to the cleaners by the Indian army on numerous occasions, Pakistan’s army is reluctant to learn a lesson. Now, Pakistan is alarmed as it is facing another threat. Their soldiers are being killed. And the attack is being launched by freedom fighters of a region that was forcefully taken over and oppressed by Pakistan. Yes, that region is, Balochistan.
Baloch freedom fighters flagged off the war
A bloody war between Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Pakistani army is unfolding in Pakistan. The BLA has launched a series of attacks on the Pakistani army camps. In a recent development on Thursday, BLA has claimed to have killed more than 100 soldiers at two military camps in Pakistan.
Pakistan has also confirmed that they have been attacked by BLA. However, Pakistan’s media have refuted the claims of 100 casualties. They have reported that “Armed assailants attacked two security forces’ camps in Balochistan province, triggering an intense exchange of fire in which at least four terrorists and a soldier were killed.”
Read more: Pakistan’s army men are running for their lives in Balochistan
In the year 2021 also, BLA had launched at least 10 such attacks on the Pakistani army. Since then, the Pak army’s casualty numbers are only increasing.
Moreover, earlier in September 2021, a statue of the founder of Pakistan, ‘Quaid-e-Azam’ Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was destroyed by The Baloch Republican Army in Pakistan’s Gwadar. it clearly vindicated the resentment of the Balochis towards the Pakistani government.
Baloch resisting Pakistan
BLA claims that Pakistan has illegitimately occupied Balochistan. They said that the Pakistani administration incessantly uses resource-rich Balochistan. Notably, Pakistan uses Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral reserve, but it does not give even a single penny to Balochis living in the area.
Read more: Balochistan mange azadi: India voices concern and extends support at UN
The Baloch freedom fighters have been waging a brave battle to get rid of illegal Pakistani occupation and atrocities. The heavy-handedness of the Pakistan military has led to the death of hundreds of civilians and has also caused mass displacements. There have been reports of Pakistan Army personnel raping, kidnapping, and killing Baloch people.
In addition to that, over 5,000 people have been reported missing in the last five years from the region with most of them are yet to be found to date, according to official government estimates. However, the number of people who have mysteriously disappeared is way over 20,000 as per the independent estimates, as Pakistan continues to deprive the region of basic human rights, forcing the locals to flee from their homes to accommodate the Chinese.
Baloch turns rebellious against the Chinese too
Beijing wanted to avoid sailing around South Asia and wanted to reach the Middle East, African and European markets directly through road and rail travel to the Gwadar port and further shipping from the Baloch port city. This is why the CPEC and the Gwadar port were at the core of China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
BLA freedom fighters had killed several Chinese engineers. As reported by TFI, in August, the Baloch freedom fighters detonated a suicide bomb adjacent to a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province.
When China started to invest, Balochis thought that they will be blessed with livelihood opportunities. However, China brought in its own men to implement its projects. On one hand, Balochi’s resources were getting exploited while on other China and Pak were filling their coffers.
Thus, they have resorted to violent attacks. They had detonated a suicide explosion adjacent to a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in Balochistan province. Prior to this, at least 13 people, including nine Chinese, were also killed in a similar attack.
Pakistan’s atrocities have led Baloch fighters to take action for seeking independence. And thus, they have decided to declare war against the country.