2024-01-20 11:14:13
The Iranian airstrike on Tuesday (16.1.2024) against the Pakistani border city of Panjgur was aimed at the terrorist militia “Jaish al-Adl”, according to its own statements. Tehran blames this group for several attacks against civilians and soldiers in Iran.
On Thursday, the Pakistani Army reacted by attacking an Iranian village near the city of Sarawan to eliminate fighters from the so-called “Balochistan Liberation Front” (BLF). According to Islamabad, there was “credible intelligence information” about the group’s “imminent large-scale terrorist activities.”
Both groups, Jaysh al-Adl and BLF, are militant separatist organizations fighting for the independence of Balochistan.
What is the conflict in Balochistan about?
The Baloch are an ethnic group whose settlement area straddles the Iran-Pakistan border and also parts of southern Afghanistan. In total, this area is approximately the size of France. The Pakistani province of Balochistan makes up the majority, while the region is called “Sistan-Baluchistan” on the Iranian side.
The region is mountainous and characterized by a dry, desert climate. Despite its large area, it is sparsely populated: the total number of Balochis is estimated at around nine million. The Baluchis are also organized into tribes, they do not feel belonging to a State.
Attempts at autonomy or independence have been violently repressed on both sides of the border for decades. On the Pakistani side, they are seen as an attempt to divide the country; On the Iranian side, the fact that the Baluchs are a Sunni minority in a predominantly Shia country makes matters worse. Both states are taking severe measures against the ethnic group.
The Pakistani Army has continued to increase its presence in the province of Balochistan.Image: Banaras Khan/AFP/Getty Images
Rich in resources, but the population is poor
The Balochistan region is rich in natural resources: it has gold, diamonds, silver, copper and other metals. At the same time, however, its population is one of the poorest in Iran and Pakistan. In recent decades, there have been several uprisings on both sides of the border, which have been bloodily suppressed by both Islamabad and Tehran.
Is an escalation between Iran and Pakistan in danger?
Relations between Islamabad and Tehran are considered tense. However, Iran is already involved in the Middle East conflict, supporting the anti-Israel terrorist militias of Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
In Pakistan, on the other hand, elections will be held in three weeks and the current Government is only in power on an interim basis. In foreign policy, the country is mainly at odds with its eternal archrival, India. But relations with Afghanistan are also tense since the Government deported hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees a few weeks ago. Therefore, a permanent additional conflict is unlikely to benefit either Iran or Pakistan.
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