Why the biggest Baloch attack in decades is a wake-up call for US, China
India Today
A series of coordinated attacks by BLA rebels across Pakistan's province of Balochistan is a wake-up call to both the US and China. Both countries have high stakes in Balochistan centred around resource extraction and access to alternative trade routes. These moves are fuelling the wave of BLA attacks that have struck Pakistan in the past few years.
Pakistan saw one of its largest militant attacks in decades on Saturday, when across Balochistan, rebels from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) carried out coordinated suicide bombings and attacks targeting civilians, police, military, and paramilitary installations, marking one of the deadliest days in the province.
The scale of the assault serves as a warning for the US and China, both with significant stakes in the region. Despite being underdeveloped, Balochistan holds vast reserves of natural gas and rare minerals, attracting heavy investment from Pakistan, China (via CPEC infrastructure), and growing US interest in critical minerals.
Foreign policy expert Michael Kugelman wrote on X, "Today's attacks in Balochistan should serve as a wake-up call to those, including in the White House, keen to invest in Pakistan's critical mineral reserves. One of the BLA's core grievances is external exploitation of local resources."
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on Saturday launched coordinated bombings and attacks, dubbing it "Herof 2". Herof is a Balochi literary term meaning "black storm", commonly used in Baloch poetry, including by veteran poet Karim Dashti, according to the news outlet, The Native Voices.
While Herof 1, launched in 2024, largely restricted BLA activity to attacks on security personnel, the scale and scope of Herof 2 were wider.
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