The unrest in Baluchistan, the area of southwest Pakistan with cultural and ethnic ties to Iran, is getting surprisingly little attention:
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Nearly 60 people, including a prominent rebel leader, were killed in a battle between government forces and guerrillas in Pakistan’s gas-rich Baluchistan province, the government said on Sunday.
An Interior Ministry official said 21 members of the security forces and 37 rebels were killed in the fighting, which appeared to be among the heaviest in the southwestern province in years.
“It is confirmed, Nawab Bugti has been killed in an operation,” Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told Reuters, referring to veteran Baluch nationalist and rebel leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti.
Military spokesmen declined to comment on the battle.
Troops launched the operation three days ago and swooped on the rebels in helicopters, a security official said in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.
This should be getting a lot more attention than it’s receiving: Pakistan is strategically critical, fragile, and nuclear-armed.
Informed commentary over at The Moderate Voice.
UPDATE
:Â Another take on the story from Robi Sen at Winds of Change.
Good post Dave, and you’re right, Baluchistan is ignored but important.
In particular, the conflict there has kicked the nation’s “arms bazaars”, such as those in Darra, into high gear.
Darra boasts that it can produce any weapon up to and including MANPADS, cannon, anti-tank missiles and shaped-charge mines to a standard impossible to tell from the original. It conventiently had examples of all of these provided by the Pakistani government.
Given the porous borders from there to Iraq (and further e.g Lebanon) and the existence of centuries-old smuggling routes, I’d be willing to bet that more than a little of the arms being smuggled across the Iran/Iraq border are not produced in Iran but have come from Pakistani arms bazaar manufacturies.
No wonder Gen Pace is at odds with the Pentagon political-generals when he says that there is no evidence the Iranian government is actively involved in importing arms into Iraq.
They might be, admitted, but given the nature of the beast there is always going to be considerable doubt about it.
Regards, Cernig