Pakistani forces enter Balochistan with tanks, activist says illegal occupation will fail

Pakistani security forces entered Balochistan’s Nushki with tanks and armoured vehicles, intensifying security measures, days after the deadly clashes with Baloch rebels, local media reported. As operations continued, Pakistani authorities imposed a curfew across the town, directing shops to remain closed and instructing residents to stay indoors. Citing local sources, The Balochistan Post reported that Pakistani security forces demolished the ancestral home of Bashir Zeb Baloch, identified as the leader of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), in Noshki amid an ongoing curfew and security operation. The demolition took place in the Ahmed Wal area, where Pakistani forces destroyed Bashir Zeb Baloch’s house using explosives amid broader security operations across different parts of Nushki. The developments followed the BLA’s launch of the second phase of ‘Operation Herof’ on January 31, during which it claimed to have taken control of Nushki, along with other areas. The group stated that it retained control of the town for six days before declaring the end of the operation. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, sharing a video of a Pakistani tank entering the area on his social media platform X, leading Baloch human rights defender, Mir Yar Baloch, accused Pakistani occupying forces of launching attacks using tanks, drones, air strikes, and heavy artillery against the Baloch civilians and destroying villages across the Ahmedwal region in Nushki. “These acts of terror and collective punishment are being carried out against a people who have overwhelmingly rejected Pakistan’s illegal occupation. Such crimes will never be tolerated on Baloch soil,” Mir posted on X. “Pakistan has revealed itself as a terrorist state, one that has completely lost legitimacy, authority, and control in Balochistan. Instead of acknowledging its political, moral, and military defeat, the occupying forces are desperately resorting to brute force. History is clear: brute force has never saved Pakistan from humiliation, and it will not do so now,” he added. Referring to the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan, the human rights activist alleged that despite the killing of nearly three million Bangladeshi Bengali women, children, and civilians, Pakistani forces continued their atrocities without remorse. He added that Pakistan chose to surrender only after its soldiers began to suffer heavy losses following Indian military intervention. Mir claimed that a similar pattern is being repeated in Balochistan, alleging that Pakistani forces are killing Baloch civilians through drone strikes, air bombardment, and tank shelling. Condemning the attacks, the human rights activist said, “No tanks, no jets, no drones, and no heavy artillery can ever break the will or weaken the resolve of sixty million Baloch people. Occupation will fail. Resistance will endure. Liberation is inevitable.”