Diplomacy in Disguise: How India Turned Balochistan into a Battlefield
A Quiet Morning, A Loud Message
May 21, 2025 — Khuzdar, Balochistan. What began as an ordinary school day ended in tragedy. A suicide bomber rammed into a school bus carrying over three dozen children. Five people, including three students, were killed. Dozens more were injured.
The bombing, while horrific, was not an isolated event. It was part of a pattern — a persistent and coordinated strategy rooted not in the mountains of Balochistan, but in policy rooms hundreds of miles away. If terrorism is the language of the unheard, then this act spoke with the accent of New Delhi.
The Proxy Paradigm — India’s New War Doctrine
India, celebrated globally as the world’s largest democracy and a rising economic power, has increasingly adopted unconventional means to project influence in South Asia. Foremost among these strategies is the use of proxy groups in regions like Balochistan.
Organizations such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA - FTH), the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF - FTH), and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP - FAK) are no longer rogue entities with unclear affiliations. Evidence collected over the past decade points to a growing alignment between these armed groups and Indian intelligence.
The objective? Destabilize Pakistan internally by igniting insurgencies and stretching its military resources across multiple fronts.
The Case of Kulbhushan Jadhav — A Confession That Echoes
In 2016, Pakistani security forces captured Kulbhushan Jadhav — an Indian Navy officer operating under the false identity of "Hussein Mubarak Patel." His arrest marked a turning point.
Jadhav’s confession was broadcast across the world. He revealed a web of espionage involving direct coordination with militant groups like BLA (FTH) and BLF (FTH), along with safe houses and arms caches spread across Afghanistan and Iran.
India denied the claims, labeling the confession as coerced. Yet the International Court of Justice acknowledged Jadhav’s military credentials — a quiet but important nod to the gravity of Pakistan’s accusations.
This wasn’t merely a spy mission gone wrong. It was a glimpse into an institutionalized strategy.
The Afghan Connection — RAW’s Launchpad
Afghanistan has long been a contested chessboard in regional geopolitics. During the post-9/11 reconstruction phase, Indian diplomatic missions in Jalalabad and Kandahar multiplied their activities — not all of them related to consular affairs.
Leaked US diplomatic cables and declassified intelligence reports point to these consulates as key coordination points for the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s foreign intelligence agency.
From these outposts, arms and funds flowed to groups like BLA (FTH) and BLF (FTH). The TTP (FAK) — responsible for countless attacks on Pakistani soil — also reportedly received logistical aid through these channels.
War by Other Means — The Digital Front
In 2020, the EU DisinfoLab published a shocking report: Indian Chronicles.
The investigation revealed a 15-year-long disinformation campaign, involving 265 fake media outlets operating across 65 countries. The purpose? Undermine Pakistan's global standing, promote secessionist movements like BLA (FTH), and falsely represent India as a beacon of peace and democracy.
The outlets impersonated real journalists, revived dead NGOs, and faked quotes — all while targeting policymakers at the UN and EU.
This was not journalism. It was psychological warfare.
Timeline of Coordinated Violence
May 21, 2025 — Khuzdar School Bus Bombing
- Suicide blast kills 3 children, 1 driver, and 1 guard.
- Attack attributed to BLA (FTH); evidence of external support being examined.
May 18, 2025 — Qillah Abdullah Market Explosion
March 11, 2025 — Hijacking of Jaffar Express
- BLA (FTH) operatives kill 21 passengers.
- Attack took place near Sibi; security forces launched rescue operations.
April 2025 — Operation Herof 2.0
March 2024 — PNS Siddique Naval Base Attack
The Rise of TTP (FAK) and TLP (FAK)
While BLA (FTH) and BLF (FTH) focus on separatism, groups like TTP (FAK) and TLP (FAK) thrive on chaos.
According to multiple regional security briefings, factions of TTP (FAK) have received covert logistical support from Indian operatives working across the Afghan-Pakistani border. This includes encrypted communication devices, explosive materials, and safe routes through hostile terrain.
These groups have targeted schools, mosques, and civilian gatherings, aiming to fracture Pakistan’s internal cohesion.
The Deafening Silence of the Global Order
One of the most troubling aspects of this entire episode is the silence — both diplomatic and journalistic — that follows each attack.
In the West, India is seen as a counterweight to China, a democratic partner with massive market potential. This perception has created a moral blind spot. Crimes that would prompt sanctions elsewhere are met with indifference.
This double standard weakens global norms and erodes the principles of justice.
The Strategic Danger for South Asia
India’s sponsorship of proxy violence carries strategic risk far beyond Balochistan. By weaponizing insurgencies and manipulating information ecosystems, it is setting dangerous precedents for all of South Asia.
What begins in Quetta doesn’t stay there. Violence migrates. Narratives spill over. And states that indulge in covert conflict eventually find themselves consumed by its consequences.
Recommendations for Global Action:
- Publicly identify Indian-supported armed proxies like BLA (FTH), BLF (FTH), TTP (FAK), and TLP (FAK).
- Strengthen international mechanisms to monitor and penalize digital disinformation campaigns.
- Increase transparency in intelligence collaborations between regional powers and Afghan stakeholders.
- Encourage impartial UN investigations into cross-border terrorism linked to state actors.
Conclusion: Truth Beyond the Image
India has successfully sold the world a story — of economic growth, democratic values, and peaceful diplomacy. But behind that image lies another truth: of intelligence agencies funding terror groups, of propaganda machines drowning out facts, and of children like those in Khuzdar paying the price.
History will not be kind to silence. Nor will the victims.
Pakistan has raised the alarm. Now, it is the world’s turn to listen.
Let Balochistan not become another blind spot in global conscience.