The ongoing Operation Shaban in Balochistan illustrates both the necessity of force against armed groups and the urgent need for a parallel political strategy if lasting peace is to be achieved. According to security sources, since July 5, a total of 109 militants have been killed in Operation Shaban and other operations across Balochistan, with security forces recovering a large cache of weapons and ammunition from the slain militants. More than 70 terrorists have been eliminated in Operation Shaban alone, launched after the attack on the Mangi Dam police station in Ziarat and conducted jointly by the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and Balochistan Police. The terror situation has been increasing this year, with the ISPR saying 42 people, including security personnel and civilians, were martyred in three recent terrorist attacks in the province. The violence has continued unabated. The government’s response has been unequivocal. Addressing the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan in Quetta, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the resolve of both the civil and military leadership to eliminate what he described as India-backed terrorism in Balochistan. He maintained that Pakistan’s eastern neighbour was behind the attacks and alleged that Afghan soil was being used to launch terrorism inside Pakistan. COAS-CDF Field Marshal Asim Munir has similarly vowed that terrorism emanating from across Pakistan’s borders would be crushed with the full might of the state.
The fact is that Pakistan today confronts simultaneous threats from the TTP and the BLA, which security observers say have increasingly coordinated their activities in Balochistan. The TTP also continues to target Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, although the frequency of attacks has reportedly declined since the launch of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq in February this year. Many analysts believe Operation Shaban could similarly reduce the frequency of attacks in Balochistan by disrupting militant infrastructure and degrading operational capabilities. But history also teaches that such gains, while significant, are rarely permanent without political engagement. Counterterrorism operations can dismantle networks, eliminate commanders and recover weapons, but they cannot eradicate alienation, mistrust or narratives of victimhood. In Balochistan, this challenge is especially acute. The BLA has invested heavily in propaganda aimed at the province’s youth. Reports of recruitment from schools, colleges and universities are deeply troubling and suggest that extremist messaging has found receptive audiences among impressionable young people. The organisation has attempted to portray itself as a victim of state oppression, even though its own record is one of sustained violence and terrorism. The deliberate targeting of civilians, labourers and public infrastructure leaves little doubt that the BLA has long been a perpetrator rather than a victim.
That said, acknowledging the BLA’s brutality does not absolve the state of confronting legitimate grievances. The issue of missing persons has repeatedly been exploited by militant organisations as a powerful rallying cry. The state must therefore address this issue transparently and resolve other genuine concerns of the Baloch people so that terrorist groups are deprived of opportunities to manipulate public resentment for their own violent agenda. An equally uncomfortable reality also deserves recognition. The current political setup in Balochistan has struggled with credibility too. Durable peace cannot be secured solely through security operations if representative politics remains weak. It is time to engage nationalist Baloch leaders, bring them to the negotiating table and empower them to reconnect with the province’s disillusioned youth. Only a political process that commands public legitimacy can begin rebuilding trust between the federation and the people of Balochistan. Pakistan cannot afford to view security and politics as competing approaches. They must complement one another. Terrorists must continue to be confronted with decisive force, but the people of Balochistan must simultaneously be offered meaningful political inclusion, responsive governance and credible mechanisms to address longstanding grievances.
