Balochistan fear rattles Pakistan: Defence Minister Khwaja Asif admits ‘we can’t handle..’ | World News

Pakistan is struggling to regain control in Balochistan as the situation escalates violently. Recently, Pakistani Defense Minister Khwaja Asif was heard saying in his speech in the national assembly, “The region (Balochistan) is very huge, it is difficult to manage the region due to its size.”

Pakistani Defense Minister Khwaja Asif’s stark admission that Pakistan “cannot cope” with the growing insurgency has raised fears of provincial collapse as separatists block highways and target infrastructure in the resource-rich region.

Unrest in Balochistan has increased dramatically in the last few days, with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) launching coordinated attacks in multiple districts, killing dozens of people, including civilians and security forces.

Pakistani forces, on the other hand, planned to eliminate more than 145 BLA militants in intense operations amid accusations of foreign support from Afghanistan and India.

‘It’s a mammoth task to manage this’: Khwaja Asif surrenders

Referring to the vast territory of Balochistan Province, Pakistan’s Defense Minister made a statement in the National Assembly stating that governing the region is a mammoth task. He also added that Pakistan is facing terrorism in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province but the presence of security forces is huge.

He also added that the geography of Balochistan is not like the province of Punjab and Sindh and it gives an advantage to the Baloch people.

The harshest statement made by the Pakistani Defense Minister at the meeting was his admission of the shortcomings of the security forces and the lack of advanced weapons.
During his speech, he said that Balochistan insurgents have advanced weapons with rifles worth 20 lakh Pakistani rupees and admitted that Pakistani security forces do not have these weapons.

‘Baloch insurgents have $4000 to $5000 worth of heat-detecting lasers and equipment totaling $20,000, which our security forces do not have,’ Asif added.

Is Pakistan on the verge of collapse?

Khwaja Asif’s words point to a crisis that Pakistan is facing in the Balochistan region. Are Pakistani forces disabled?

As tensions in Balochistan escalate amid deadly attacks by separatists, Pakistan faces growing fears of collapse. The coordinated attacks killed dozens of people, including civilians and police, and led Pakistani forces to kill more than 145 militants in response. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif’s warning that the country “cannot deal” with the insurgency highlights the strain on resources amid economic woes and threats to key projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Although not on the verge of complete collapse, the unrest signals greater risks from local anger over the grabbing and disappearance of resources. Security measures save time but fail to solve fundamental problems. Without political talks and assistance, violence could spread, repeating past crises and weakening Islamabad’s grip.

An overlooked mineral-rich province

Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan; It is located on a treasure trove of minerals such as copper, gold, coal, chromite and rare earths worth trillions; but locals see little benefit as profits flow to Islamabad and foreign companies.

Recent attacks by the Balochistan Liberation Army have targeted these resource fields, striking CPEC projects and highways to protest exploitation; Defense Minister Khawaja Asif admitted that the army could not cope with this.

Complaints are mounting that mining deals such as Reko Diq only give locals 2% royalties despite huge reserves of 5.9 billion tonnes of copper-gold ore. According to a report by Dawn, Prime Minister Bugti calls these resources “collective property”, but enforced disappearances and poverty fuel separatists who block extraction. Pakistan risks losing control of its richest lands as the violence causes $6-8 trillion in damage to undiscovered rare earths that are vital to global technology.