New Delhi, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The operational landscape in Balochistan has witnessed a reported shift with female units linked to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) increasingly being described as taking part in armed operations against Pakistani security forces and military installations.
A recently formed female unit of the BLF, the Karima Armed Assault Division (KAAD), claimed responsibility for an ambush on a Pakistan Army Action Task Force convoy on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) highway near Jusak, close to Turbat.
According to officials cited in the report, women in Balochistan have moved beyond political activism, mobilisation and support roles to reported direct participation in attacks. The officials said the development represented a tactical change for the separatist groups.
One of the earliest known cases cited was that of Shari Baloch, who carried out a suicide bombing at Karachi University’s Confucius Institute in April 2022. Three Chinese teachers and their Pakistani driver were killed in the attack. Shari Baloch was associated with the BLA, according to the report.
The BLF is also reported to have expanded its female participation. In 2025, Kareena Rafiq allegedly carried out a vehicle-borne attack targeting a Frontier Corps facility in Nokundi.
The BLA subsequently claimed that its women members participated in its February 2026 offensive against Pakistani forces, described by the group as Operation Herod 2.0. The organisation later formally announced the formation of a women’s wing and appointed Shahnaz Baloch as its commander.
Officials cited in the report said the female units could become more prominent in the coming period. They rejected the view that women were simply being placed in front by male members of the separatist organisations, claiming instead that some women were voluntarily joining the groups and participating in high-risk operations.
At the same time, officials said many women associated with the movement continued to perform non-combat roles, including political messaging, fundraising, participation in protests and supporting families of fighters.
The report also links the emergence of female armed units to wider grievances in Balochistan. Officials cited allegations of enforced disappearances, abductions and extrajudicial killings, with students, political activists, teachers, journalists and lawyers among those reportedly targeted.
Human rights groups have estimated that around 8,000 people have gone missing in Balochistan since the mid-2000s, according to the report. It also cites claims that victims have been found dead after alleged torture. These allegations have been repeatedly raised by rights groups but are not independently established in the source material.
Officials further attributed the armed mobilisation to longstanding economic and political grievances in the resource-rich province, which has substantial reserves of natural gas, gold, coal, copper and uranium but remains one of Pakistan’s least-developed regions.
The report said the participation of women is also viewed by officials as an attempt by the BLA and BLF to portray their movement as a broader struggle cutting across gender lines, while potentially encouraging more men to join the armed groups.
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