Quetta: Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan army’s media wing, has once again boasted about something one ought to be ashamed about by highlighting the “victory of security forces” in Balochistan which was actually a major intelligence failure on part of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and military as they failed to detect the activity of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a report has highlighted.
On January 30, BLA launched ‘Operation Herof 2.0’ with its forces targetting law enforcement agencies and security forces in several cities of nine districts of Balochistan province, including capital Quetta, a report in Eurasia Review detailed.
“Such a massive operation involving hundreds of fighters would have required extensive coordination through electronic means as well as large scale physical movement and concentration of BLA cadres prior to the attacks. That the ISI and the military failed to detect the same is undoubtedly a major intelligence failure, but who in Pakistan dares to question those in uniform,” Nilesh Kunwar, a retired Indian Army Officer, wrote in Eurasia Review.
Operation Herof 2.0 has showcased the determination and willingness of BLA fighters to embrace death. This operation also involved female Baloch fighters as foot soldiers. BLA fighters did not carry out hit and run attacks, instead they took control over populated areas and fought till the end. Visuals from the region showcased people mingling with BLA fighters and even cheering them, rejecting Pakistani army’s false narrative that Baloch armed groups terrorise civilians, the report mentioned.
“As the country’s CDF, Field Marshal Munir has to and must answer some hard questions like – The Pakistan army claims that the people of Balochistan are with them and not with armed Baloch groups, why hasn’t it been able to subdue Baloch armed groups? If armed Baloch groups are terrorising locals then what explains video footage released by BLA showing civilians not moving around freely in areas controlled by BLA fighters but even fraternising with them?” Kunwar questioned.
“When he had publicly announced that ‘We will beat the hell out of these [Baloch] terrorists very soon,’ how come the BLA could launch a massive operation? If armed Baloch groups are being sponsored by New Delhi as the CDF alleges, then why is ISI which boasts of being the world’s premier spy agency is helpless in severing this link?,” he added.
The report questioned Field Marshal Munir for not taking action against those who were responsible for the intelligence failures to predict major militant attacks in Balochistan like the August 2024 Operation Herof, 2025 Jaffar Express Hijacking and ongoing Operation Herof 2.0.
Statistical data on casualties prepared by the Pakistani army signals that BLA as lost nearly 10 fighters for every security personnel killed during Operation Herof 2.0. However, the figure is nothing to be proud of as the casualties among BLA have been increased while the number of security forces personnel killed have been understated, Kunwar wrote in the Eurasia Review.
(IANS)
