'No Independence Day Celebration': Deadly Attacks, Blackouts Push Balochistan Into Security Crisis

Last Updated:August 13, 2025, 14:57 IST

Balochistan has been under an internet blackout for several days, while residents face severe mobility curbs and rising fears of violence.

Collective suppression under the garb of combating insurgency and terrorism is far from new in Balochistan. (AFP)

The security situation in Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan, has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks, with lawmakers and provincial officials warning of unprecedented restrictions on daily life. The province has been under an internet blackout for several days, while residents face severe mobility curbs and rising fears of violence.

Speaking in the Senate, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman’s Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) senator Kamran Murtaza painted a grim picture of the situation. He told the upper house that “Balochistan has no internet since the last many days" and that the security climate has worsened to the point where local transport is unavailable after 5 pm. “What’s happening in Balochistan is not appropriate — from security to the basic need of electricity, the problems are getting worse day by day," Murtaza said. He further revealed that multiple areas had been declared “no-go zones" due to threats from armed groups.

Top provincial bureaucrats have also reportedly alerted the federal government to the worsening environment, citing intelligence-based security threats as the reason for cancelling Independence Day celebrations in several major district headquarters. According to these officials, even local government and town offices in sensitive districts avoided hosting events on August 14 to prevent potential militant attacks.

The heightened security alert follows a series of deadly assaults on Pakistani security forces in the province. In one of the most significant recent incidents, Baloch separatist insurgents ambushed Pakistan Army vehicles in Washuk district earlier this week. At least nine soldiers, including a captain, were killed when gunmen opened fire on a military police van and a quick response force unit near Green Chowk in Basima. The attack also left several soldiers and civilians injured.

Balochistan has long grappled with a separatist insurgency, which has intensified in recent years despite repeated security operations. Militant groups often target security convoys, infrastructure, and government installations, accusing Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources while neglecting local development. The mounting attacks have prompted increased troop deployments and intelligence operations, but have also led to sweeping restrictions that critics say are suffocating normal civilian life.

Senator Murtaza’s remarks in Parliament reflect growing political unease over the balance between security and civil liberties. With communications disrupted, public transport halted in the evenings, and celebrations curtailed, the people of Balochistan are facing a daily reality shaped by fear and uncertainty — a situation that lawmakers warn is eroding the writ of the state in the province.

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