Big Statement on Baloch Insurgency: Pakistani Security Forces Are Weak, Says Defence Minister
Quetta: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has admitted that the country’s security forces are becoming “weak” in the face of Baloch insurgents amid a sharp rise in militant violence in Balochistan — a province that has long been fighting for independence from Islamabad.
His remarks come at a time when, over the past three days, a total of 197 Baloch people, including militants from ‘Fitna-al-Hindustan’ and other armed groups, have been killed in counter-terrorism operations in Balochistan. Additionally, 22 security personnel have also lost their lives, according to government media reports released on Tuesday.
Speaking in the National Assembly (NA), Asif said, “Geographically, Balochistan accounts for more than 40 percent of Pakistan’s territory. Controlling it is far more difficult than managing a populated city or region and requires the deployment of a very large number of troops. Our soldiers are deployed there and are taking action against the militants, but physically, they are getting exhausted while guarding and patrolling such a vast area.”
Addressing the National Assembly, the Defence Minister highlighted the serious geographical challenges faced by troops in Pakistan’s largest but least populated province. The situation has worsened after separatist forces carried out coordinated attacks at at least 12 locations, triggering one of the deadliest security crises in recent years. Officials said that at least 177 militants were killed in large-scale counter-terror operations across the province, as reported by Pakistani daily The Express Tribune.
Khawaja Asif categorically ruled out any talks with the insurgent group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that there would be no dialogue with “terrorists” responsible for killing civilians, including women and children.
He also alleged a nexus between criminal networks and separatist groups, claiming that criminal gangs operate under the BLA banner, which, according to him, provides protection to smugglers.
“In Balochistan, tribal elders, bureaucracy and those running separatist movements have formed a nexus,” Asif claimed, adding that smugglers once earned up to 4 billion Pakistani rupees per day through oil smuggling.
These developments come at a time when Balochistan continues to struggle for separation from Pakistan, alongside increasing allegations of human rights violations against Baloch people by security forces. Cases of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and fabricated charges have reportedly risen across the province.
The Defence Minister said the government had intensified its crackdown on smuggling, which led to major protests at the Chaman border. He further stated that while some argue the state should negotiate with nationalist movements, he claimed that the protest movement was driven by commercial interests rather than politics or nationalism.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti described the operation as one of the largest intelligence-based actions conducted in such a short span of time. He said the operation followed several coordinated attacks carried out by the BLA.
Balochistan, which shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan, has witnessed decades of insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatists demanding greater autonomy and a larger share in the province’s natural resources.
The Baloch resistance against the Pakistani state began soon after the merger of the Kalat princely state. Insurgencies have occurred in 1948, 1958-59, 1962-63, 1973-77 and from the early 2000s to the present.
Despite being rich in minerals, natural gas, coal, copper, gold and hosting strategic ports such as Gwadar, Balochistan remains Pakistan’s poorest province, lacking adequate roads, hospitals, schools, electricity and employment opportunities.
Most of the benefits from Balochistan’s resources are reaped by Punjab and the central government, pushing the province to the margins both economically and politically.
In recent years, separatist groups such as the BLA have targeted security forces, infrastructure and projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Their focus on Chinese infrastructure, particularly the Gwadar port under CPEC, reflects local anger against projects perceived as exploitative and exclusionary.
