Shillong: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is calling for a grand dialogue with Baloch insurgents. It is a desperate shift from decades of failed military suppression. Violence in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounted for 96 percent of the country’s fatalities during the second quarter of 2026. Balochistan recorded 265 deaths alone.
Last month’s death toll was triple the figure recorded the month prior. The government now claims it wants to bring insurgents back into the mainstream. This follows a long, bloody history of relying on the army and paramilitary units to crush dissent. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi previously insisted that the state’s writ would be enforced at all costs. Now, the government admits that hard power has not secured peace.
Resentment runs deep in the region. Balochistan holds vast amounts of natural gas, coal, copper, and gold. Yet, the local population remains among the poorest in Pakistan. Sharif recently admitted that the mineral wealth belongs to the Baloch people. However, decades of extraction have left behind a legacy of mistrust. Locals see the $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as a tool for further militarization and exploitation. This 3,000-km network linking Gwadar Port to Xinjiang threatens to erode local identity.
Washington keeps an eye on the region. The United States labels the Balochistan Liberation Army a terrorist organization. Even so, the U.S. blocked Chinese and Pakistani attempts to force United Nations sanctions against the group. Officials cited a lack of direct ties to Al Qaeda or the Islamic State. Islamabad must now decide if it will treat the province as a political partner rather than just a security threat. For now, the region remains a dangerous battlefield.
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