Pakistan: UBA claims responsibility for blowing up bridge in Balochistan

Quetta, Aug 11 (IANS) The United Baloch Army (UBA) on Tuesday claimed responsibility for blowing up a bridge in Kachhi district of Balochistan Province in Pakistan, local media reported. 

Citing a statement from UBA spokesperson Mazar Baloch, the Balochistan Post reported that the fighters of the group targeted a bridge at Sabri on Sanni Road near Dhadar in Kachhi district with explosives on Saturday evening and rendered it completely unusable.

Mazar Baloch said that the “enemy’s logistics and movement” in the area had been severely disrupted by the attack.

Pakistan military used the bridge daily to transport military supplies and for operational purposes, noted the statement.

According to the spokesperson, the route is now completely destroyed, and such attacks would continue, “until the establishment of an independent Balochistan.”

Balochistan is observing the 79th Independence Day on Tuesday, continuing an annual tradition that defies what Baloch human rights groups call Pakistan's "illegal occupation" of the region.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) noted that, during its fieldwork in the province, it found locals concerned about the "escalating erosion of human rights and civic space in Balochistan. Discussions revealed a convergence of structural exclusion, gendered vulnerability, repression of youth voices and the weakening of public institutions". The "structural exclusion" is not a recent development in the Islamabad-Balochistan relations but started as early as 1948 when the province was annexed after it had declared independence on August 11, 1947.

Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan, forming 43.6 per cent of the total area of the country. Its population density is the lowest, 42.90/km. The province is rich in natural resources, like gas, gold, copper, oil, precious stones, and chromite. Southern Balochistan, with a 770 KM coastline, makes up 70 per cent of Pakistan’s total coastline. Some reports suggest that the province is a treasure trove, with some even of the view that if untapped resources of Balochistan are used, Pakistan may not need foreign aid to address its economic crisis. The Gwadar Port, presented as a game changer for the country, is in Balochistan.

Despite being rich in natural resources, having a long coastline, and a low population, all the factors that should have helped in the development and welfare of the Baloch people, Balochistan remains the least developed province in Pakistan. It is the poorest province, with a poverty rate as high as 47 per cent, as compared to the national poverty rate of 28.9 per cent in 2024-25. The province has been demanding its due rights in its natural resources that are being exploited by Islamabad. In response, the Baloch have experienced state highhandedness and violation of their human rights.

In response to the state highhandedness and the atrocities committed by the Pakistan military, some decided to wage armed resistance and seek separation from Pakistan.

–IANS

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