Baloch group behind Karachi bombings
- April 28, 2022
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
Baloch group behind Karachi bombings
Subject : Geography
Section: Mapping
Context:
On Tuesday, there was a suicide bombing at Karachi University, outside its Confucius Institute, a Chinese culture and education outreach centre supported by the Chinese Ministry of Education. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, also claiming that it was carried out by a female suicide bomber.
What is Baloch Liberation Army (BLA)?
The BLA, which announced itself in 2005 with a rocket attack on a paramilitary camp in BalochistanKohlu during a visit by then President Pervez Musharraf, is a nationalist militant group that has been waging an insurgency for Baloch self-determination and a separate homeland for the Baloch people.
Where is Balochistan located?
Balochistan borders Afghanistan and Iran. With gas, oil, copper and gold deposits, it is the most resource-rich of Pakistan’s four provinces. It makes up half of Pakistan’s area, but has only 3.6% of its population.
Much before Pakistan bought into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s BRI initiative and the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Musharraf had handed over Gwadar, a fishing village on the Baloch coastline, to the Chinese for development of a deep-water port that would provide China access from the Karokoram Pass to the Arabian Sea.