Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday that more than 70 people had been killed in attacks in Balochistan by separatist militants seeking to “sabotage CPEC and development projects”.
CPEC is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a large-scale Chinese infrastructure construction project in Pakistan.
Sharif said The prime minister told the Cabinet meeting that the government “must move forward with firm resolve” as “no weakness can be tolerated” in dealing with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
Sharif said the terrorist group's aim was “to thwart Pakistan's development, disrupt CPEC development projects and create division between Pakistan and China.”
“The door for negotiations is always open in Balochistan to those who believe in Pakistan and accept its constitution and flag,” he added.
Mr Sharif with Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari issued statement He expressed sorrow for the victims and condemned the attackers, who began a series of attacks on Sunday.
President Zardari has denounced the militants as “enemies of the nation and humanity.”
“The perpetrators of this attack will be punished. Terrorism in any form will not be tolerated in the country. The fight against terrorism will continue until this scourge is completely eradicated,” Sharif said in a statement.
The Chinese government also be criticized He condemned the attack and suggested “further strengthening counter-terrorism security cooperation with our Pakistani side to jointly maintain regional peace and security.”
The BLA, an outlawed separatist group, Claimed On Tuesday, the Pakistani government said it took responsibility for multiple attacks that killed more than 50 people, making it the region's deadliest day in recent history. Pakistani officials described the attacks as a highly organized operation involving hundreds of terrorists and suicide bombers.
Pakistan Army said Fourteen BLA soldiers and 21 militants were killed in an encounter in which the BLA targeted a vehicle on a major highway in Lasbela district. In other attacks, the BLA attacked a police post killing 10 people and blew up a key railway bridge leaving six bodies recovered.
The Pakistani military accused the BLA of deliberately killing at least 23 civilians and torching 35 vehicles in one attack. Claimed The targets were all military personnel in civilian uniform, and Pakistani officials said the BLA was trying to kill workers employed on CPEC projects.
“We have taken control of all major highways across Balochistan and have completely blocked them,” the group said, warning civilians in Balochistan to avoid roads while the BLA fights the “Pakistan occupation forces”.
The BLA is a separatist militia. Formed About 25 years ago, the goal was to carve out an independent “Greater Balochistan” from the territories of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. By early 2024, Pakistan and Iran would take turns bombing Part of each other's Balochistan.
The most resource-rich territories coveted by Balochistan separatists are in Pakistan, and they are particularly resentful that the government in Islamabad is teaming up with China to exploit those resources.
The BLA was designated a terrorist organization and banned by Pakistan in 2006. name In 2019, it designated the BLA as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization and condemned the group for attacks on civilians, noting that many of its targets are Chinese.
The BLA is explicitly Marxist in ideology and its founders were trained in the Soviet Union before its collapse. The BLA is allied with the Pakistani Taliban and is supported by the Afghan Taliban. Reportedly It provided the country with U.S. military equipment that was abandoned when the Biden-Harris administration withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
Regional analysts say the BLA has become significantly more aggressive since the Taliban took power in neighbouring Afghanistan and has also gained strength following February's provincial elections in Balochistan. Widely seen As being corrupt.
