Why Insurgency in Balochistan Intensifying

June 25, 2026

The decades-long insurgency in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has been exacerbated by allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of civilians attributed to state agencies.

Citing partial data published by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), it said that at least 59 incidents linked to the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) have been recorded till June 21 this year, resulting in 233 deaths, including 21 civilians, 203 personnel of security forces, and nine militants.

In comparison, 93 such incidents were documented throughout 2025, claiming 273 lives, including 30 civilians, 226 security forces personnel, and 17 militants.

While releasing its annual operational report on January 4, 2026, for the period January to December 2025, BLF characterised 2025 as a decisive and exceptional year for what it termed the ongoing ‘national resistance struggle’ in Balochistan, adding that operations were conducted across coastal regions, urban centers, highways, and remote areas, targeting SFs, surveillance infrastructure, and state-linked economic interests under an ‘organised and multidimensional strategy’.

The BLF claimed responsibility for 581 armed actions targeting Pakistani forces across Balochistan, resulting in 929 casualties, including 647 deaths and 282 injuries. As per the findings, those injured included 282 Pakistani army and Frontier Corps personnel, along with eight intelligence operatives, four police personnel, 30 “death squad” members, and 10 Coast Guard personnel.

Providing a detailed account of its operations, the BLF claimed that it conducted 36 ambushes, 33 hand-grenade attacks, 13 IED blasts, and 33 sniper attacks, besides seven intelligence-based operations, with heavy weapons, rockets, and light machine guns used in 163 attacks.