Fitna al-Hindustan: BLF Attack in Gwadar Foiled
On October 22 this month, the proscribed Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), referred to as Fitna al-Hindustan, attempted to attack an unoccupied camp belonging to a construction company in Gwadar district under the name “Operation Almas.” As usual, the group subsequently made exaggerated claims, describing the target as the main camp of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO). In its press release, it claimed to have targeted offices of sensitive agencies located inside the camp and spread false propaganda about the martyrdom of officers and personnel.
One should ask: how could offices of sensitive agencies possibly be located inside a construction company’s camp? In reality, BLF terrorists attempted to carry out terrorist activities at the Kabd border crossing and in various areas of Gwadar city. However, the security forces responded promptly and effectively, foiling the so-called Operation Almas and leaving the terrorists dead. Ten terrorists, including a female militant, Balqis Didag alias Almas, after whom the operation was named, were reportedly killed in the retaliatory action.
The terrorists also set fire to trucks loaded with food supplies belonging to Baloch traders. It is worth noting that these groups have repeatedly harmed the very people they claim to represent. What was the fault of these Baloch traders whose vehicles were burned? Is depriving the Baloch people of their daily bread not a form of economic victimisation?
The story of Balqis Didag alias Almas, described as a central figure in this operation, is deeply disturbing. According to the account, she was misled through a honey-trap by facilitators trained by the BLF and subsequently taken to a BLF camp in the mountains. There, the young Baloch woman was allegedly given intoxicating drugs, sexually exploited and filmed in an inappropriate condition. The footage was then allegedly used to force her to participate in the attack.
It is worth recalling that in 2024, Adeelah Baloch, a suspected female suicide bomber arrested in Turbat, revealed in an interview that she had been working on a health project run by the World Health Organization (WHO) when a trained facilitator of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) lured her into a relationship. She alleged that she was taken to the mountains, where the organisation’s commanders sexually exploited her and subsequently recorded compromising footage to force her into carrying out a suicide attack.
In my column, “Indian Proxy BYC: Responsible for the Ruin of Baloch Women,” published on December 29, 2025, I had highlighted how facilitators of proscribed organisations allegedly misled various women, including Shari Baloch, Samia Qalandarani, Mahal Baloch, Ganjatoon and Zarina Rafiq, and exploited them for their own objectives. Using vulnerable women as human shields is fundamentally contrary to Baloch and Islamic traditions. Baloch men were once known for protecting women, including those belonging to other communities. Today, however, terrorists who claim to represent Baloch identity are allegedly violating the dignity of Baloch women.
Proscribed organisations seek to spread unrest in Balochistan through terrorism, allegedly in pursuit of foreign agendas, in order to sabotage development. Development generates prosperity, which creates opportunities for employment, education and business. Under such circumstances, narratives based on deprivation and backwardness lose their appeal. This is why young people are misled through fabricated stories and emotional slogans and incited to rebel against the state.
They are told that others have taken control of their resources, but they are not told how terrorism will harm their own families. Books are taken from the hands of young people and replaced with weapons. Directing young people who could contribute to the development of their families and communities through education towards violence is not a struggle for Baloch rights; it is outright terrorism.
The problems faced by the people of Balochistan and their rights remain important issues in their own right. However, these concerns cannot justify terrorism, bloodshed or damage to the property of ordinary citizens.
If an organisation genuinely represented the Baloch people, it would protect their lives, property and livelihoods. The food supplies carried in those trucks were being transported to meet public needs. Setting the vehicles on fire did not eliminate deprivation or resolve any public issue. Instead, the traders suffered financial losses, and the livelihoods of their families were put at risk.
Gwadar holds strategic importance for Pakistan’s economic development. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Gwadar Port and other nationally significant projects have created employment opportunities for young people. The article alleges that the attack in Gwadar was encouraged by India, arguing that New Delhi has long opposed CPEC. It also refers to previous attacks in Gwadar targeting Pakistani and foreign engineers.
The BLF’s so-called Operation Almas in Gwadar was, according to the article, neutralised by security forces within a few hours. The author argues that these groups make claims through social media but are unable to achieve their objectives when confronted by security forces.
The people of Balochistan need peace, security, education, healthcare, employment and opportunities for development. Problems exist everywhere in the world, but their solution lies not in taking up arms, but in education, skills development and working within the state.
The article concludes that the India-backed BLF and other proscribed organisations should recognise that the state is determined to eliminate terrorism. It argues that surrendering before the state is the only way out for militants and rejects any notion that a foreign-backed terrorist organisation could take control of Balochistan, asserting that the province’s people stand with the state.
