New Delhi: Baloch separatists appear to be adopting a different way of disrupting Pakistan’s transport network, using bulldozers and other heavy machinery to damage bridges and block roads instead of depending on explosives.
The bridge incident comes as a long-running insurgency between Baloch separatist groups and Pakistani security forces continues. The conflict has involved attacks on military personnel, infrastructure and Chinese interests in the province. It also appealed to the international community to recognise Balochistan as an independent country and demanded the withdrawal of Pakistan’s military and security forces. The group further called on Pakistani military personnel and other non-Baloch officials serving in the Army, the Frontier Corps, the police and other security institutions to leave the province and surrender their equipment to Baloch forces. The statement accused Islamabad of repression and exploitation of Balochistan’s mineral resources, while warning that continued military operations would intensify the conflict.
