Quetta, Balochistan , 13 January (H.S.): The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an audacious attack on a Pakistani army convoy near Ornach on January 9, asserting that six soldiers perished instantly when militants struck a military vehicle with devastating precision along the Central Highway crossing.

BLF spokesperson Major Ghoram Baloch detailed in a statement to media outlets that fighters lay in wait around 1:00 PM, unleashing a ferocious assault that left the targeted vehicle severely damaged and its occupants killed on the spot.

Militants' Chilling Account

According to The Balochistan Post, Major Ghoram Baloch affirmed the operation's success, declaring that BLF warriors had seized the initiative against occupying Pakistani forces in Ornach, resulting in the confirmed deaths of six personnel. The spokesperson emphasized the group's resolve, vowing continued resistance to reclaim Baloch sovereignty over natural resources long exploited by Islamabad.

No independent verification emerged from Pakistani military sources, which frequently dismiss such claims as insurgent propaganda amid escalating separatist violence.

Roots of Enduring Separatist Struggle

The BLF, active since 2004 alongside groups like the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), spearheads a decades-long insurgency demanding full independence for resource-rich Balochistan, Pakistan's largest yet least developed province. The conflict traces to 1947, when the princely state of Kalat declared sovereignty post-India partition, only for Pakistani forces to annex it forcibly in 1948.

Baloch nationalists decry systemic marginalization, alleging Islamabad siphons gas, minerals, and land—exacerbated by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), viewed as entrenching foreign domination.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar