– A series of deadly attacks in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on August 26 and 27 killed at least 38 people, mostly civilians of Punjabi ethnicity
– The attacks were claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), an ethnic Baloch nationalist insurgency that has been waging a low-intensity war against the Pakistani Punjabi-dominated establishment
– The BLA has been targeting the large Chinese presence in Gwadar and other parts of the province and has launched coordinated attacks across Balochistan
– The Pakistani State’s denial of grievances in Balochistan, including political discrimination, exploitation of natural resources, and human rights violations, has contributed to the insurgency
– The Pakistan Army, preoccupied with internal security challenges, has been taken by surprise by the attacks and is facing a formidable opponent in the BLA.