Why peace remains elusive in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan

"Stretching across Pakistan's southwestern border, the mineral-rich province of Balochistan is the country's largest and poorest region, and the site of its longest-running sub-national conflict. Balochistan's relationship with the Pakistani state has been uneasy almost since Pakistan came into being in August 1947, following the partition of the subcontinent after the end of colonial rule. The province has witnessed violence since it formally became part of Pakistan a year later in 1948."

"While the conflict has ebbed and flowed over the decades, it has resurged sharply in recent years, in what analysts describe as an almost unprecedented phase. The latest escalation unfolded on January 31, when coordinated attacks were carried out in nearly a dozen cities across the province by secessionist groups seeking independence. Led by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the attackers killed more than 30 civilians and at least 18 law enforcement personnel."

"Following those attacks, during government operations lasting several hours, security forces said they killed more than 150 fighters. A day later, Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of the province, said in a television interview that the solution to Balochistan's woes lay with the military rather than political dialogue. But analysts say that the roots of the conflict and some of the factors that keep it alive lie in the final years of British rule in South Asia and the uncertain political geography preceding Pakistan's independence."

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and poorest province, mineral-rich and the site of the country's longest-running sub-national conflict. The region's relationship with the Pakistani state has been uneasy since 1947, and the province has experienced violence since it formally became part of Pakistan in 1948. The conflict has ebbed and flowed but has resurged sharply in recent years, culminating in coordinated January 31 attacks by secessionist groups that killed dozens of civilians and law enforcement personnel. Security operations reportedly killed more than 150 fighters, while provincial leadership emphasized military over political solutions. Roots of the unrest trace to late British rule and the fragmented political geography before independence.

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