Tactics Institute for Security and Counter-Terrorism has strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express train in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The attack, which occurred on March 11, 2025, involved militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). They took hundreds of passengers hostage after derailing the train and opening fire. Tactics Institute described the incident as a “horrific act” and expressed condolences to the victims and their families. We emphasising that the Pakistani people deserve to live free from violence and fear.
The institute is gravely concerned over Pakistan’s neglected southwestern province of Balochistan, as it has been the stage of a yearslong insurgency, with a dramatic increase in attacks in recent years highlighting the struggles the government in Islamabad faces in confronting myriad security threats. The episode of a passenger train by the banned Baluch Liberation Army, or BLA, took the insurgency to a new height with the first such large-scale operation by the militant group.
There are around 9 million Balochs in the province, which is the largest in Pakistan. The Baloch, a minority Sunni Muslim ethnic group, state they face discrimination and oppression by the central government. According to them, the community is the poorest in the country despite Balochistan boasting extensive natural resources such as gold, diamonds, silver and copper.
The desire for autonomy has been suppressed violently for decades by Islamabad. And Baloch armed groups, for their part, have pledged in a prolonged confrontation against Pakistani security forces.
Over the past few years, the Baloch have also been furious over growing Chinese investment in the area as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The BLA and other separatist groups blame Beijing of exploiting their resources and land, and fear that the inflow of Chinese investments and employees might further disenfranchise the Baloch people.
The situation in Balochistan is complex and deep-rooted, and a number of elements are driving the growth in violence in the region. Shifting militant tactics, local resentments over political exclusion and resource exploitation, as well as a reaction to heightened military operations, are part of conflict.
Tactics Institute emphasises that gathering additional intelligence to interrupt the supply chain of weapons and tools is necessary to tackle the ethnic armed group. Also noteworthy is identifying infiltrations and sympathisers. Multifaceted approach is required to put a stop to the insurgency.
Security operations alone will not generate stability and could do more harm than good if they aren’t paired with significant efforts to give residents more of a stake and a voice in how their province is governed. Local alienation is also engendered by longstanding grievances, including enforced disappearances.
