Although
reports indicate an improvement in its overall security, Balochistan
remains the most fragile province in contemporary Pakistan. This brief
examines both the efficacy and motivations behind the state’s recent
actions to end persistent conflict in the province.
Summary
- The province of Balochistan is riven by multiple cyclical conflicts and is the most fragile in Pakistan.
- The complicity of politicians, government officials, and security personnel in criminal activity has created a nexus among criminality, militancy, and terrorism.
- With significant new Chinese investment on the horizon, a tentative but notable shift in state attitudes toward criminality and conflict has occurred. The operational capacity of sectarian militant groups has been degraded, and unprecedented initial steps have been taken to address paramilitary corruption.
- However, policy realignments continue to be determined primarily by Pakistan’s military establishment in light of its strategic priorities. Political negotiations between the state and Baloch nationalist groups have stalled.
- While the overall security situation has improved, the rights and
needs of Balochistan’s people, and the underlying fault lines that
trigger conflict, remain unaddressed.
About ths Brief
Beset by multiple cyclical conflicts, Balochistan remains the most fragile province in Pakistan. This brief discusses recent attempts at ending the violence, as well as prospects for breaking out of the “fragility trap” as a consequence of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project. Ali Dayan Hasan is a senior advisor at the Islamabad-based Jinnah Institute.
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