Baluchistan on the Boil

Six policemen were killed and dozens wounded on May 11 when a series of landmine blew up in quick succession at a police training school in Quetta. The outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the blasts while Pakistani authorities claimed to have ‘proof’ that the Indian consulate in southern Afghanistan was funding separatist groups in Baluchistan to fuel insurgency. Frequent attacks on installations have been triggered by resistance from local tribal chiefs to government schemes to develop the area. The groups fear increasing migration from Punjabis into the province, and have long complained that they do not receive commensurate royalties for the region’s gas resources.

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