The situation between the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Pakistan Army has escalated significantly in recent weeks, drawing attention to a deepening security crisis in Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan. The BLA, a separatist group seeking independence for Balochistan, has intensified its insurgency with a series of bold and sophisticated attacks, challenging the authority and capability of the Pakistan Army under General Asim Munir’s leadership.
One of the most striking incidents occurred on March 11, 2025, when BLA militants hijacked the Jaffar Express, a train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, carrying around 425 passengers. The militants took hundreds hostage in the mountainous Bolan region, demanding the release of imprisoned Baloch activists. The Pakistani military responded with a large-scale operation, claiming to have rescued most passengers and killed 33 insurgents, though the BLA countered that they executed over 200 hostages, primarily military and police personnel, before withdrawing. The conflicting narratives and lack of independent verification have fueled speculation about the true scale of the event and the army’s effectiveness.
This attack, among others—like the ambush of a military bus in Balochistan on March 16, where the BLA claimed to have killed dozens of soldiers—highlights the group’s growing audacity and operational capacity. The BLA’s actions have not only targeted Pakistani security forces but also disrupted key infrastructure, exposing vulnerabilities in the army’s control over the restive province. Analysts note that the insurgency has gained momentum under new leadership and with increased recruitment, including from educated, middle-class Baloch youth, signaling a shift in the movement’s dynamics.
General Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Army Chief, has faced mounting criticism amid these developments. Junior officers within the army have reportedly issued an unprecedented open letter demanding his resignation, accusing him of tarnishing the military’s honor and turning it into a tool of political oppression. They point to the BLA’s taunts and the army’s failure to prevent high-profile attacks as evidence of his faltering leadership, likening the current crisis to Pakistan’s humiliating loss in 1971. Meanwhile, Munir has publicly vowed to crush militancy, calling for Pakistan to become a “hard state” and blaming the civilian government for weak governance, which has strained his relationship with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The BLA’s resurgence has broader implications, including for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billion-dollar project critical to both nations. With attacks targeting Chinese interests and personnel, such as the October 2024 suicide bombing that killed two Chinese nationals, pressure is mounting on Pakistan to stabilize the region—possibly even prompting China to consider deploying its own security forces.
