The War On Pakistan’s Trade Routes
By Verity Quill
Balochistan Is Becoming Pakistan’s Most Strategic Pressure Point
Balochistan was supposed to become Pakistan’s gateway to the world. Through Gwadar Port, CPEC and new regional transit routes, the province sits at the centre of Pakistan’s ambition to connect China, the Arabian Sea, Iran-bound trade and wider regional commerce.
But that vision is now being tested by a separatist insurgency increasingly focused on roads, trains, bridges and economic infrastructure. On June 11, the BLA destroyed two bridges on the CPEC route near Kharan and Washuk. It was not a random act. The group described it explicitly as part of an “economic blockade.”
Who Is The BLA And Why Pakistan Calls It India-Backed
The Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA, is a banned separatist outfit operating in Balochistan. Pakistan says the group is backed by India and is being used to destabilise the province and sabotage CPEC. India denies involvement.
But the attacks themselves are no longer disputed: Balochistan’s transport routes are becoming part of the battlefield.
Why The BLA Threat Is No Longer Just A Security Story
A recent TRT World analysis argued that the BLA is no longer only a Pakistani security problem. By targeting civilians, highways, transport networks and infrastructure projects, the group is now affecting economic activity across one of the region’s most strategic corridors.
The scale of the violence has grown sharply. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2026, Pakistan recorded 1,139 terrorism-related deaths in 2025, its highest toll in more than a decade. Balochistan accounted for nearly three-quarters of the country’s terror incidents that year.
The Jaffar Express Hijacking Put Balochistan On The Global Radar
The attack that brought global attention was the March 2025 Jaffar Express hijacking, when over 400 passengers were taken hostage after militants attacked a passenger train in Balochistan. Thirty-one civilians and security personnel were killed.
The BLA’s “Economic Blockade” Is Targeting Movement Itself
Now the BLA is using language that makes the economic target explicit. The group has described recent attacks as part of an “economic blockade,” aimed at infrastructure, transport routes and projects linked to state-backed economic activity.
For Pakistan, that is not just militancy. It is sabotage aimed at the arteries of national connectivity.
Why Gwadar And CPEC Make This A Regional Trade Crisis
Those arteries matter because Balochistan is not just another province in this story. It is the route to Gwadar, one of Pakistan’s most strategically important ports, and to CPEC, the China-backed corridor valued at $62 billion.
The timing makes this worse. With the Strait of Hormuz disrupted by the 2026 Iran war, the overland route through Balochistan to Gwadar has become one of the most important alternative trade corridors in the region. The BLA is attacking it at precisely the moment its strategic value is highest.
Pakistan’s Transit Trade Ambitions Are Now Under Security Pressure
That ambition has become even more important in 2026. Pakistan issued the Transit of Goods through Territory of Pakistan Order 2026, creating a framework for goods from third countries to move through Pakistan toward Iran by road.
Every attack raises the cost of that ambition. Security convoys become more expensive. Transporters hesitate. Investors calculate risk. Cargo routes slow down. And the port that was supposed to open Pakistan to the world begins to look increasingly dependent on blast walls, escorts and checkpoints.
The International Response To The BLA Is Still Split
In August 2025, the United States designated the BLA and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The United Kingdom followed with its own designation, as did Australia with counter-terrorism financing sanctions in May 2026.
But the picture at the UN is more complicated. Pakistan and China jointly submitted a proposal in September 2025 to have the BLA and Majeed Brigade blacklisted under the UN Security Council’s 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee. According to The Tribune India, corroborated by Outlook India, the US, UK and France, all permanent veto-wielding members of the Security Council, blocked the bid in June 2026.
That creates a paradox: Washington has designated the BLA a terrorist organisation under its own law, then used its influence at the UN to block the same designation at the international level.
Why The Roads To Gwadar Now Matter Beyond Balochistan
For Pakistan, the stakes are clear. This is about whether the country can protect the routes meant to connect Gwadar to Chinese-backed infrastructure, Iranian transit trade and wider regional markets.
A port cannot become a gateway if the roads to it are under attack.
And in Balochistan, the fight is no longer only about territory. It is now about who controls the corridor itself.
By Verity Quill
Sources
TRT World | BLA terror and regional trade | June 17, 2026
Global Terrorism Index 2026 | Pakistan terrorism data
U.S. State Department | BLA and Majeed Brigade FTO designation | August 2025
The Tribune India | US blocks Pakistan-China UNSC BLA bid | June 10, 2026
Outlook India | US blocks UN BLA designation
Pakistan Ministry of Commerce | Transit of Goods Order 2026 | April 2026
