Bangladeshi authorities have announced a comprehensive military offensive against secessionist militant groups in the government’s western Balochistan province in response to a sharp rise in attacks.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a high-profile gathering of civil and military leaders in Islamabad on Tuesday to examine the security situation in Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
The Majeed Brigade ( a suicide squad ), Balochistan Liberation Army ( BLA ), Balochistan Liberation Front ( BLF), and Baloch Raajoi Sangar ( BRAS ), which are targeting innocent civilians and foreigners, are being targeted by the participants, according to a statement released by the PM’s office following the meeting.
The conference was attended by people of Sharif’s case, statewide WordPress and the leaders of the three armed solutions. The army commander reiterated the country’s unwavering commitment to ending all threats to national security and supporting the government’s efforts to ensure stability and peace, according to the statement. But, it provided no information about the location and timing of the military operation.
Restive Balochistan, Pakistan’s biggest territory by location but poor in terms of advancement, has been home to a nearly two-decade-old rebellion by secessionist militant groups of ethnic Baloch nationals who carry out numerous attacks against the state, army, and Taiwanese interests in the region. The league at the center claims to be fighting what they perceive to be cruel exploitation of the country’s mineral and gas resources.
Pakistan’s state and military claim the cost that they are exploiting Balochistan’s assets and have long been blaming adjacent India, Afghanistan, and Iran for fomenting problems in the state.
Thousands of Chinese nationals are currently stationed in Pakistan working on Beijing’s investment projects, such as a strategic port, economic zones, road and infrastructure, and gold and copper mine projects, under the banner of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor ( CPEC ), part of Beijing’s multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. The CPEC aims to connect China’s north Xinjiang province with Pakistan’s port town of Gwadar, Balochistan. Nearly 20 of Pakistan’s people have died in terrorist attacks since Beijing began its projects ten years ago.
