Balochistan chief minister accuses India of uniting elements seeking to destabilize Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of the southwestern Balochistan province on Thursday accused India’s top intelligence agency of attempting to unite militants who seek to destabilize Pakistan, as Islamabad struggles to contain surging militancy in its western regions.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land yet its poorest by almost all social and economic indicators, has been hit hard by an insurgency for decades now. Ethnic Baloch separatist militants accuse Islamabad of denying locals a share in the province’s mineral resources, an allegation the federal government and military deny.
These militant groups, the most prominent among them being the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), have frequently launched attacks targeting law enforcers, civilians and commuters from the eastern Punjab province.
“They [India’s intelligence agency RAW] have launched an intelligence-based war against us and are trying to unite all those who seek to destabilize Pakistan,” Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti told reporters at a media briefing in Islamabad.
