“Balochistan in flames: Why India must watch Pakistan closely and up its guard”, First Post, February 04, 2026

“The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) carried out a series of coordinated attacks on January 31 in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. These covered a wide swathe of territory stretching from Gwadar and Pasni along the Makran coast to Panjgur and Tump on the Pakistan-Iran border, and Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin and Kharan in the shadow of the Durand Line. In addition, the BLA also attacked targets in the provincial capital, Quetta.

Seventeen security personnel, 31 civilians and 133 BLA insurgents lost their lives in these attacks. The Pakistani authorities claimed that in further operations over the last three days they have succeeded in killing 40 more insurgents. The January 31 attacks were the deadliest the BLA had undertaken since that on the Jaffer Express in March last year. The BLA had also carried out coordinated attacks in 2024. This shows that despite all their efforts in Balochistan, the Pakistani security forces, led by the army, have not been able to effectively secure the province.”

The Pakistani state agencies have labelled the BLA as “Fitna al Hindustan”. This formulation, in the Arabic language, is meant to convey to Pakistanis and the Islamic world that the BLA, under India’s influence and instigation, is acting contrary to Quranic injunctions. Fitna is a sin in Islam because the faith does not permit rebellion against a rightful and righteous ruler. Under Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Pakistani Army is seeking to invoke religion against insurgent groups so that their political activities and quest for rights and identities can be dismissed as un-Islamic. Munir is also trying to arouse the religious sentiment of the faithful in Pakistan and in the Islamic world against India……..”

Read full article at firstpost.com