At least 11 people were killed in two separate bombings in Pakistan’s volatile Balochistan province on Friday, highlighting the continuing surge in militancy in the region bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

Freedom movements amongst different rebel groups has been rising in mineral-rich Balochistan, which sits on the border with Afghanistan and Iran, and it has been met with a sweeping counter-terrorism crackdown.

In the first incident, a suicide attacker drove an explosive-laden vehicle into a convoy of paramilitary Frontier Corps troops in Dasht, near the Iranian border, killing five people, including three soldiers, and wounding several others.

The separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a long-active insurgent outfit seeking independence for Balochistan, swiftly claimed responsibility for the strike, portraying it as part of its campaign against Pakistan’s security forces.

Hours later, a second explosion occurred near an Afghan border crossing, killing six labourers; no outfit has yet claimed responsibility for this attack, but the strike reflects the increasing threat militants pose even to civilians in the province.

Balochistan has experienced decades of unrest, driven by local grievances over resource exploitation, perceived political marginalization, and severe state crackdowns. Insurgent factions such as the BLA intensify operations through high-profile attacks on the military, while groups like Islamic State have also destabilised the province through sectarian and civilian-targeted bombings, such as the suicide attack earlier this month in Quetta that killed 15 at a political rally.

Pakistan’s armed forces have intensified counter-terrorist operations, but critics and rights organisations accuse them of committing abuses, including enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and heavy militarization that fuels local resentment.

These layered conflicts, alongside the province’s strategic position and vast mineral wealth, make Balochistan a critical yet deeply unstable theatre in Pakistan’s internal security landscape.

Agencies