Pakistan: Evident shift in Balochistan insurgency signals urgency of state response

The Baloch insurgency has undergone a drastic shift, with the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army playing a key role in reshaping the movement. Meanwhile, security institutions are struggling to adapt their counter-insurgency strategies to keep pace with these changes.

Last week’s attack on Chinese nationals in Karachi by the Baloch Liberation Army showcased its growing operational capabilities, as its suicide squad successfully targeted a heavily protected convoy of Chinese nationals. The Baloch Liberation Army has a history of launching high-intensity terrorist attacks in Karachi, and the recent attack was its 11th out of a total of 17 – five attacks were carried out by the banned Balochistan Liberation Front and one by the banned Baloch Nationalist Army.

It was the fourth strike on Chinese interests in the city since 2012, and one of the worst since the attack on the teaching staff at the Confucius Institute of the University of Karachi. The area around Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport is part of a high-security zone. Previously, it was the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, which breached airport security in 2014 and launched a terrorist onslaught inside the premises.

The August 26 terrorist wave on the major highways of Balochistan exposed the Baloch Liberation Army’s intentions to take its violent campaign to another level, but it was...

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