THE Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has announced to launch one of its ‘biggest’ campaigns against the Pakistani security forces. The BLA and its supporters have vowed to step up the heat on the security forces and not stop until Balochistan becomes independent from Pakistan. Officials tracking the developments say that the groups in Balochistan are planning on targeting military infrastructure, railway tracks and commercial vehicles. The idea is to cripple the Pakistani establishment and get them into agreeing to free Balochistan from Pakistan control. An official said that this was bound to happen and in recent years, the Pakistani establishment has been blatant when it comes to taking resources fromthe region and not passing on the benefits to the people of Balochistan. Several attempts at holding dialogue have failed in the past as the establishment has always treated the Baloch people with contempt, the official added. The flare up is due to the airstrike that the Pakistani Air Force conducted in the Soorab area. At least 27 innocent civilians were killed and many others injured in the air strike. The BLA says that it has carried out a series of attacks on the Pakistani establishment following the air strikes.

 

Pakistan, on the other hand, which has branded the Balochistan people as terrorists claimed the air strike killed 10 persons. The BLA has also said that Pakistani security forces have been enforcing forced disappearances in the region. It alleged that three persons from Balochistan had gone missing and then killed in a fake encounter. An Intelligence Bureau official said that the establishment has pushed matters too far and this has irked the BLA. In the past, the BLA has targeted security posts, highways, military infrastructure and railways lines. In January this year, the BLA launched one of its biggest missions called Operation Herof II in which it carried out a series of coordinated attacks on the security forces of Pakistan. In another development Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) announced that it would support the ongoing protests in Balochistan. The BYC has condemned the bombings of civilian areas by the Pakistan Air Force in Sorab and Gwadar on August 13. Officials say that the situation in Balochistan has turned from bad to worse. The Pakistani security forces are not just battling against groups such as the BLA, but are also targeting women and children. In recent months even the elderly have been targeted. Another official said that there is a pattern involved when it comes to targeting women, children and the elderly. The establishment wants to indulge in such barbaric acts so that the locals of Balochistan do not support groups such as the BLA.