AfPak File: What’s Driving The Rising Violence In Balochistan?

Last week, separatist insurgents with the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) attacked two different Pakistani security posts in the province of Balochistan.

The region is poor, resource-rich, and home to a long-running anti-state insurgency. However, the recent attack was unusually complex. And it came on the heels of another deadly insurgent assault in a different area of Balochistan.

Baloch separatists have also staged recent attacks beyond Balochistan, including a bomb attack in the city of Lahore late last month.

What accounts for this upsurge in violence, what does it say about conditions and grievances in Balochistan, what might it reflect about the geopolitics of South Asia, and how might the Pakistani state respond?

The latest edition of The AfPak File examines these questions and more. Joining the debate are Ahmad Shah Azami, a journalist with Mashaal Radio, RFE/RL's Pakistan Service; Maryam Baloch, an activist from Balochistan; and Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.

Muhammad Tahir, Washington DC media manager for RFE/RL, moderates the debate.

This podcast originally appeared on RFE/RL.