On Tuesday, 11 March 2025 an incident took place in the morning at the Jaffar express train which was carrying 400 to 500 passengers from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan to Peshawar, during which it got hijacked by a militant organization, The Balochistan Liberation Army(BLA). This organization initially declared its purpose to work for the cause of the people of Balochistan who were grief-stricken with poverty, lack of resources, and injustice almost since the formation of Pakistan due to marginalization by the government of Pakistan and its capital even though it is the largest province of Pakistan. This particular organization and several others had started working for this cause at the beginning of this century, which significantly earned them support from the people of Balochistan. However, in recent times, these separatist and rebellion movements generally started increasing in the country’s Southwest region, where their purpose started evolving from demanding basic living rights and conditions to wanting independence from their region from the state.
This demand, however, has created a new air of tension between this region and the decision-makers of Pakistan’s state. The people of Balochistan have always felt neglected compared to those of the developed capital of Pakistan and other regions around it in the North of Punjab. The region being the most rich in resources such as coal, gas, copper, and gold has very little to offer them compared to the revenue it generates for the federal government of Pakistan. These resources including many others as well as the land of Balochistan have always been of great interest to not only Pakistan but the rest of the world as well.
However, if the people are looked at, a majority of them are not grounded a majority of them is not granted any benefit from it. The job opportunities, educational facilities, and better life conditions are very limited in this region, leading to the people from this region feeling highly neglected. This has led to them wanting a revolution for the cause of this region’s people, leading to the foundation of such organizations and a continuous increase is also seen in the number of people joining these organizations who are highly educated and capable, and well-established as well.
However, most of the time such organizations often take part in such activities which could only realize their personal beneficial goals while hurting others and also destroying the image of the people they are declaring to work for in front of the whole world. The same has happened in the case of BLA taking part in the Jaffar express incident. It is not the first time that they tried to challenge the authorities or the state’s writ by causing a terrorist attack like this, which led to 27 citizens including civilians and military soldiers being killed. Before this incident, many mass terror attacks took place on various occasions in the country with BLA militants involved.
This has now become an even serious concern for the government and the state security with a major clash prominently taking place between the Baloch people and the authorities. This incident as many others has challenged the writ of state with the rumour of external forces supporting BLA in such attacks. This should raise a major concern in the government, politicians, and military of the country, along with the rest of the citizens because such incidents have become a huge threat to the state’s security. The government needs to be more concerned about the demands of the Baloch people who want fair, equal, secure, and peaceful living conditions. This incident should not be used for political motives by anyone.
The government and the authorities need to have a genuine concern for the people in Balochistan who are living their lives in misery if they want to convince them and assure them that they will be supported and given equal rights and comfort of living like any other citizens without feeling fear of losing their lives or of those of their loved ones. This incident is a wake-up call for the military and governments to change their strategy to deal with these people if they do not want them to be manipulated with their physical and mental abilities used by such organizations for their benefit. The people of Balochistan should be considered just as important as any other citizen because they are also a part of Pakistan. If these strategies aren’t changed and they are not assured of their rights, it is highly possible that soon, the state’s internal and external security will become highly unstable. The image that this incident has sent to the whole world about Pakistan and its ability to protect itself from any external or internal threats is not a positive one. So, for the greater cause of our nation and our country, it is highly significant that unity is attained among all the citizens by providing them equality. This way the sense of insecurity between the people of Balochistan and the rest of the state could falter and eventually end, creating a secure environment in the state forming a great resisting force to anyone that tries to harm our country.
The author is an independent security analyst and can be reached at lalinakhan1122@gmail.com
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