Despite heavy military operations, Baloch armed groups continue to mount stiff resistance and large-scale attacks in Balochistan, leading to a 30% increase in attacks and 26% rise in fatalities in 2025 compared to 2024.

Field Marshal Asim Munir’s aggressive promises to crush the insurgency have failed, resulting in him issuing a 72-hour ultimatum to commanders and intelligence officials to “control Balochistan or pack up,” exposing operational shortcomings.

The article argues that the crisis requires political dialogue, socioeconomic reforms, addressing enforced disappearances, youth employment, and trust-building — not just military force — as the insurgency enjoys significant local support and is driven by genuine grievances, not solely foreign proxies.

Unfulfilled Promises & Lies

More than a year ago, Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces [CDF] Field Marshal Asim Munir told a cheering group of Pakistanis how he would beat the hell of Baloch fighters “very soon.” More than a year has since elapsed but rather than improving, things have taken a turn for the worse. And this is why media reports of the CDF issuing a 72-hour ultimatum to his top military commanders and intelligence officials to either “control Balochistan or pack-up” indicates that performance of the Pakistan army and intelligence agencies in Balochistan has been inordinately unsatisfactory.

The utterance of a failed field marshal also exposes two ground realities that the Pakistan army has been trying to conceal through disinformation that Baloch fighters are proxies creating unrest at the behest of India and they are hated........

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