– Deadly attacks in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on August 26-27 killed at least 38 people, majority of them Punjabi civilians.
– Pakistan’s ruling class, including the Army, may be forced to focus on internal security challenges rather than internal grudge matches.
– The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), an ethnic Baloch nationalist insurgency, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
– The BLA has roots in armed struggle for Balochistan control in the 1970s and has been waging a low-intensity war since the killing of Baloch leader Akbar Khan Bugti in 2006.
– BLA targets Chinese presence in Balochistan and has escalated hit-and-run operations in recent years.
– Insurgency in Balochistan is fueled by grievances over political discrimination, resource exploitation, and human rights violations.
– Pakistan blames India for troubles in Balochistan instead of addressing its own shortcomings.