QUETTA: Baloch separatist militants have targeted a dam construction site and a Levies check post in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan in two separate attacks, a senior official confirmed Saturday, abducting six laborers and seizing weapons just days after Pakistan announced a comprehensive operation against armed factions in the province.
The attacks occurred late Thursday night along the border of the remote Nushki and Kharan districts.
Pakistan’s largest but sparsely populated province, Balochistan borders Afghanistan and Iran and is central to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. The region has been the site of a low-level insurgency by separatist militants for over two decades, though violence has intensified in recent months.
In August, the province witnessed a series of coordinated attacks that killed over 50 people.
“Unknown armed men attacked a dam construction site in Nushki district on Thursday night and abducted six laborers,” Additional Chief Secretary Home Shahab Ali Shah said while speaking to Arab News. “The laborers were working for a private construction company.”
“In another incident, armed men attacked a Levies check post at Zarin Jungle area and snatched three submachine guns from the soldiers,” he continued, adding that no loss of life was reported in the attack.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a prominent militant group in the province, claimed responsibility for the attacks on Friday, saying the group seized weapons from the Levies and “arrested” construction company personnel.
“BLA fighters captured a post of the Pakistani Levies force on the highway at Zarin Jungle and seized the weapons,” it said in a statement. “At the same time, different squads of fighters conducted a snap-check on the highway and arrested five personnel working on a construction project.”
It added the BLA had destroyed the construction company’s machinery and equipment by setting them on fire.
Rich in land and mineral wealth, Balochistan is otherwise an impoverished region, prompting separatist groups to accuse Pakistan of exploiting provincial resources, including gold and copper.
Pakistan denies the allegations and says the government is carrying out several development projects in the region to ensure its prosperity and improve the quality of life of its residents.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif approved a “comprehensive military operation” in Balochistan against the separatist outfits involved in attacks on Pakistani security forces after a suicide bombing at the Quetta Railway Station killed about 25 people, including army troops.
Baloch separatists have also been involved in targeting Chinese workers in Pakistan, prompting Beijing to urge authorities in Islamabad to provide them with foolproof security.
Gunmen attack checkpoint, abduct six laborers in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province
https://arab.news/vubpj
Gunmen attack checkpoint, abduct six laborers in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province
- The Baloch Liberation Army claims responsibility for twin attacks in Nushki district this week
- Pakistan has announced an operation against Baloch separatists targeting Chinese nationals
Pakistan says will press ahead with trilateral cooperation with China and Bangladesh
- Islamabad signals closer engagement with Dhaka amid shifting regional dynamics
- Trilateral platform gains traction after recent China-Pakistan strategic talks last week
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it would continue to pursue a trilateral cooperation framework with China and Bangladesh aimed at boosting regional connectivity, trade and development, as consultations among the three countries move forward.
The framework, launched last year at the senior officials’ level, has gained renewed attention as ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh improve following years of limited engagement, while Dhaka’s relations with India, a longtime archrival of Pakistan, have come under strain amid domestic political upheaval.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad remained committed to the Pakistan-China-Bangladesh cooperation mechanism and intended to follow up on earlier consultations to deliver “practical outcomes.”
“On the Pakistan, Bangladesh and China mechanism, if you recall, a meeting took place last year [2025] at the level of vice ministers and foreign secretaries,” Andrabi told a weekly media briefing, adding that Pakistan looked forward to “positive outcomes” in line with an agreed joint communiqué.
“So of course, the consultations between the three of us would continue in the future to strive for outcomes which are beneficial for the peace, progress and prosperity of our people,” he said when asked specifically about Bangladesh’s role in the framework.
The trilateral cooperation was also referenced in a joint press communiqué issued after the Seventh Round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue held last week.
“The two sides expressed readiness to continue leveraging the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’
Dialogue and the China-Bangladesh-Pakistan cooperation mechanism to deliver new outcomes,” the statement said.
Andrabi said Pakistan’s engagement with China would continue across bilateral and trilateral formats, underscoring Islamabad’s preference for cooperative regional approaches focused on economic development rather than bloc politics.
Bangladesh was part of Pakistan until 1971, when it gained independence following a bloody war of independence. Relations between the two countries have shown signs of improvement in recent months, as Dhaka recalibrates its foreign policy after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024. India has so far declined Bangladesh’s request to extradite Hasina, who fled to New Delhi after violent student-led protests.
In a related development, Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu earlier this week held talks with a high-level Bangladeshi defense delegation on strengthening air force cooperation, including the potential sale of JF-17 Thunder fighter jets jointly developed by Pakistan and China.
