As Pakistan continues to launch ineffective drone and missile attacks targeting Indian civilians and military installations along the eastern border, a major crisis is unfolding on its western front. Baloch rebels have intensified their assault on Pakistani security forces, with at least three armed groups reportedly taking control of parts of Balochistan province.

Clashes between Baloch pro-independence fighters and Pakistani forces have escalated in recent days, and the demand for a free Balochistan is growing louder. Social media is flooded with images and videos showing Baloch people bringing down Pakistan's national flag and raising their own in its place. According to news reports and trusted social media sources, these rebel groups carried out well-coordinated attacks on Pakistani forces and their bases across Balochistan on Thursday. These developments come as the Pakistani government and military are preoccupied with responding to India's Operation Sindoor, a strike aimed at terror camps.

On Friday, Baloch rebels launched an attack on Pakistani forces in the Faizabad area of Quetta. In a separate incident, Islamabad's security forces were targeted with a hand grenade at a military camp in Sibbi, according to sources.

Baloch groups have become more active, leading to at least four attacks on Pakistani security forces by "unidentified armed assailants" in Quetta, the provincial capital, on Thursday. There were reports of explosions and heavy gunfire throughout the city, according to Radio Zrumbesh English, based in Balochistan.

On Thursday, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) launched six separate attacks in Kech, Mastung and Kachi, targeting the Pakistani Army and its collaborators, as reported by Radio Zrumbesh English. "Baloch people have started hoisting their own flags and taking down Pakistani flags. Time for the world to pull back their diplomatic missions from Pakistan and shift them into the newly emerging country of Balochistan. Farewell to Pakistan, welcome to Balochistan," Baloch writer Mir Yar Baloch posted on X. The recent wave of attacks comes just days after former Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi stated that Pakistan's federal government and military are losing control over Balochistan, especially after dark.

Abbasi pointed out that senior government officials and ministers cannot move freely in Balochistan without security escorts. He also questioned the Army Chief Asim Munir’s claim about the extent of the rebellion in the region. On Thursday, fighters from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) targeted a bomb disposal team of the Pakistani army in Dashtuk, Kech District, with a remote-controlled IED, killing one soldier on the spot.

In another attack, BLA fighters launched an assault on a Pakistani army outpost in Katgan, also in Kech, using automatic weapons. This attack reportedly resulted in the deaths of some security personnel, according to Balochistan-based journalist Bahot Baluch, who quoted Jeeyand Baloch, the BLA spokesperson. Several IED blasts targeted the Pakistani army and its supply vehicles in Zamuran's Sah Dem area, resulting in multiple fatalities, as reported by Bahot Baluch. These attacks, which took place on Thursday, followed a series of incidents on Wednesday where Baloch rebels targeted Pakistan's critical infrastructure, including gas pipelines and transport vehicles carrying resources. Three pro-independence Baloch armed groups claimed responsibility for the attacks, according to The Balochistan Post.

On Wednesday, two separate IED attacks struck Pakistani security forces and a military supply vehicle in Zamuran, located in the Kech district of Balochistan, the Post reported. 

Baloch writer Mir Yar Baloch also stated that the rebels have attacked Pakistan’s gas fields in Dera Bugti, an area that hosts more than 100 gas wells run by the state-owned Pakistan Petroleum Limited. The Pakistani army chief, Asim Munir, has stated that the "unrest" in Balochistan is caused by just 1,500 people, while the government in Islamabad has blamed India for the long-standing, home-grown resistance in the region. Balochistan, which is rich in natural resources, has been exploited by the Islamabad-Rawalpindi alliance for decades, with little or no benefit given to the local Baloch people. Though Balochistan has experienced various struggles for independence, the resistance here has been one of the longest ongoing conflicts in recent years.

Former Pakistan PM Abbasi, who raised the alarm about the situation in Balochistan, remarked, "This is not a breakdown in law and order. It is a sign of the state’s fading authority". "Whatever Asim Munir may say is his opinion, I am only stating what I saw," Abbasi said in response to Munir's ridiculous claim over Balochistan.

The former prime minister made these remarks on May 5. The very next day, on May 6, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carried out two attacks in Balochistan’s Bolan and Kech areas, killing 14 Pakistan army personnel, as reported by the news agency ANI. Since Pakistan took control of Balochistan in 1948, breaking its promises, the people of Balochistan have faced economic neglect, exploitation of their resources, and violations of their human rights. Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province by land area and rich in minerals, is also the least populated. It has been the site of ongoing armed and peaceful movements by the ethnic Baloch people, protesting against economic injustice, exploitation of resources, and human rights abuses.

Baloch rebel groups are intensifying their resistance against Pakistan's federal government, powerful military, and Chinese investments in the country. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is leading this resistance, targeting Pakistani security forces and infrastructure tied to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

In response, the Pakistani military has used harsh tactics, including forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. The resistance isn't just coming from armed groups. Women like Mahrang Baloch are also playing a key role in the peaceful movement, protesting against the Pakistani army’s abduction of Baloch men. Mahrang herself is currently in jail. Some Baloch women have even taken up arms in the struggle. Baloch armed rebel groups have caused significant damage to Pakistan's security forces and Chinese assets in Balochistan.

In 2024, casualties among Pakistan’s civil and military forces in Balochistan increased by 40% (383 deaths) compared to 2023, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal. Taking advantage of Pakistan's focus on Operation Sindoor, the Baloch rebels have stepped up their attacks on Pakistani forces, including in Quetta, and have raised flags calling for independence.