_Vinayak Barot
New Delhi: The latest report published in the Pakistani media warned the Islamabad government to stop or take some strict actions against Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as attacks on the Chinese nationals have increased sharply in the last few years. The government of Pakistan is not in the condition to bear the pain from China as the Islamabad government is massively dependent on the Beijing government for all kinds of assistance and help.
The recent attack of one member of BLA – Shari Baloch – killed three Chinese nationals at the University of Karachi. The three were among passengers on a minibus returning to Karachi university after a lunch break when the bomb exploded at the entrance to the university’s Confucius Institute, killing the Chinese teachers and a Pakistani national.
Shari Baloch had a Master’s degree in Zoology and MPhil in education. Pakistani political experts have believed tackle with terrorists becomes more critical when they are educated and in the current situation – educated people are joining the BLA.
In 2018, Karachi police foiled an attack by insurgents of the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army on the Chinese consulate. Another attack also claimed by the BLA, was similarly stymied in 2020 at the Pakistan Stock Exchange where the Chinese have major investments.
According to a media report, For years, the Baloch insurgency had been regarded as a low-intensity conflict. But this is no longer the case. The attacks are growing more audacious as seen earlier this year when ten soldiers lost their lives in an attack on an FC post in Kech. The militants’ reach is also growing as an earlier attack in Lahore demonstrated.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, also known as the Baloch Liberation Army, is a militant organization based in Afghanistan. The BLA became publicly known during the summer of 2000 after it claimed credit for a series of bombing attacks on Pakistani authorities.
The local experts have also believed that the situation for Pakistan could be painful if BLA chooses to walk in the footprints of the Taliban to liberate Balochistan from Pakistan.