Fighters from the Balochistan Liberation Army have claimed responsibility for the attack in which three people died, two of them Chinese citizens. Yesterday, the government also banned a Pashtun organization, an ethnic group, like the Baluchis, marginalized and mistreated by the army due to its proximity to the Taliban. Protests are growing among those calling for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Karachi (/Agencies) – The Pakistani government’s difficulties in managing rebel and opposition movements in its territory are increasingly evident. Late in the afternoon of Sunday, October 6, a terrorist attack at Karachi airport killed three people, including two Chinese nationals, and injured ten others.
The action was claimed by the Majeed Brigade of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a terrorist organization that for years has opposed the agreements between Pakistan and China for the exploitation of Balochistan’s resources. In a statement emailed to reporters, the separatist group said the explosion was caused by an explosive device placed in a vehicle. The target was “a high-level convoy of Chinese engineers and investors” from Karachi airport.
The analysts they underline that this umpteenth attack (five Chinese engineers died in a suicide attack in March) not only demonstrates the inability of the Pakistani government to protect Chinese citizens (who are in Pakistan to manage infrastructure projects financed by Beijing, in particular the port of Gwadar ), but also that the BLA, from an insurgent group limited to marginal areas, is becoming a broader network of militants capable of striking even in large cities.
Balochistan province is located in southwestern Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and Iran. In August alone, more than 70 people were killed in armed attacks by separatist militants. Several commentators have noted the support that the BLA enjoys among the local population, who have attempted to maintain their ethnic, linguistic and cultural identity. Balochistan is also the poorest of all regions of Pakistan. The figure for multidimensional poverty, which is 39.4% throughout the country, rises to more than 70% here. Furthermore, in a province that covers 44% of the territory, infrastructure and investments in the energy sector are lacking, and only 14% of Baloch people live in urban areas, creating de facto isolation between the Baloch people and the rest of the country. .
However, in the last year attacks have also increased in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan or TTP) operates. According to data from the Pakistan Institute of Conflict and Security Studies, 757 people (both civilians and members of the security forces) were killed in armed attacks in the first eight months of 2024, 254 of them in August.
Yesterday, the government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, banned the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), an organization in defense of the rights of the Pashtun ethnic group – divided between Pakistan and Afghanistan -, alleging that the PTM was “involved in certain activities detrimental to the peace and security of the country. The PTM has long denounced the army’s abuses against civilians in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The group also claims that more than 200 activists have been arrested in recent days, shortly before an important jirga (council of elders) scheduled for the weekend. This is an assembly in which the main issues affecting the Pashtuns are debated. The Independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called for the PTM ban to be lifted.
Afghanistan’s Taliban, who have not stopped meddling in Pakistan’s political affairs since returning to power, expressed their support to the PTM and urged Islamabad to “address the legitimate demands of the people through dialogue.” Kabul also extended its support to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who, despite having been in prison for more than a year, continues to lead the protests of his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Justice Movement or PTI). . In recent days, PTI supporters (including several Afghans) have returned to protest against the Islamabad government demanding the release of Khan and other party leaders. In response, the government blocked the Internet and accused protesters and Khan himself of “rebellion against the state” and “terrorism.” And he proposed new constitutional amendments that could also ban the PTI.
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