QUETTA: A video released by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army’s (BLA) media wing, “HAKKAL,” purporting to show a successful suicide attack on a Pakistan Coast Guards check post in Jiwani has been found to contain digitally manipulated footage, according to an independent visual verification conducted by Buraq Baloch Fact Check Analysis.
The footage was circulated after security forces repulsed a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) attack targeting the Pakistan Coast Guards’ Panwan Check Post in Jiwani, Gwadar, on Friday.
According to official accounts, security personnel thwarted the assault, killing four attackers before they could breach the installation. Police and other law enforcement agencies subsequently secured the area, conducted rescue and clearance operations, and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The Claim
Following the failed attack, the banned BLA claimed responsibility and released a video through its media outlet, HAKKAL, alleging that its suicide bomber had successfully struck the Coast Guards check post and inflicted significant damage on security forces.
The footage was widely circulated across social media platforms and pro-BLA networks as purported evidence of a successful operation.
The Fact Check
A frame-by-frame analysis by Buraq Baloch Fact Check Analysis found that the explosion sequence in the video had been digitally altered to create a misleading impression of the attack’s outcome.
The verification included detailed video forensic examination and Google reverse image searches, which identified inconsistencies in the explosion footage and signs of post-production editing. Investigators concluded that the visuals had been manipulated to exaggerate the scale and success of the attack.
The analysis found no visual evidence supporting the BLA’s claim that its attackers breached or overran the Pakistan Coast Guards check post.
Instead, the available evidence aligns with official reports that security forces intercepted the suicide vehicle before it reached its intended target, foiling the attack and killing multiple militants.
Verdict
The BLA’s video does not accurately represent the outcome of the attack. Independent visual analysis indicates that key explosion footage was digitally manipulated to portray the failed assault as a successful strike. Available evidence supports the conclusion that security forces repelled the attack before the suicide vehicle reached the Pakistan Coast Guards’ Panwan Check Post.
Background: Suicide Bomber Previously Listed as ‘Missing’
Following the attack, the BLA identified the suicide bomber as Attaullah.
Prior to the incident, organisations including the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Baloch National Movement (BNM), and others had publicly listed Attaullah as a missing person, stating that he had allegedly been forcibly disappeared since February 27, 2025.
The BLA’s subsequent identification of Attaullah as the suicide bomber has drawn attention because his name had previously appeared in missing persons campaigns promoted by these organisations.
The differing narratives surrounding his status have become a subject of public and media scrutiny.
