Pak warns of consequences as Iran Strikes Terror Bases in Balochistan

Pak warns of consequences as Iran Strikes Terror Bases in Balochistan

Subject :IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

• Iran launched unprecedented missile and drone strikes on terrorist bases of a Sunni militant group in the restive Balochistan province. Pakistan warns of severe consequences to Tehran.

Details:

• Strikes were launched against the Jaish al-Adl militant group.
• Site of strike: Panjgur in Balochistan.
• A member of Iran’s Revolutionary Gaurd was shot dead in the country’s south-eastern Sistan-Baluchistan province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Balochistan:

• Balochistan is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau’s far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline.
• This arid region of desert and mountains is primarily populated by ethnic Baloch people.
• The Balochistan region is split among three countries: Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• Administratively it comprises the Pakistani province of Balochistan, the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan, and the southern areas of Afghanistan, which include Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
• It borders the Khyber Paktunkhwa region to the north, Sindh and Punjab to the east, and Iranian regions to the west.
• Its southern coastline, including the Makran Coast, is washed by the Arabian Sea, in particular by its western part, the Gulf of Oman.
• Natural resources in the region:
  • Balochistan is richly endowed with natural resources. The province possesses many minerals including coal, sulphur, chromite, iron ore, barytes, marble, quartzite, and limestone.
  • Balochistan has the largest reserves of copper and gold in the world and is also blessed with huge oil reserves.
  • In 1953, the natural gas discovered at the Sui area of Dera Bugti, Balochistan has supplied gas to all over Pakistan, but the people of Sui are still deprived of their own gas.
• Strategic location:
  • Dominated by natural resources, Balochistan is also the most significant province of the country due to its geo-strategic location.
  • Gwadar port, located in the coastal belt of Balochistan, is a deep-sea port in the Indian Ocean, strategically important for regional and international players.
  • Since the start of commercial trade at Gwadar port, the United States (US) has been concerned about the Chinese engagement in Balochistan.