QUETTA: Pakistani security forces have uncovered direct links between the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and India’s intelligence agency, RAW, after killing 16 militants in a targeted operation in Mach, Balochistan, on August 27.
Officials said seized satellite phones, digital devices, and classified documents revealed real-time communications with handlers in New Delhi. Evidence showed the militants were planning a major attack on Quetta’s oil and gas pipeline network to cripple energy infrastructure and disrupt development projects in the province.
The network’s alleged ringleader, identified as Sohail alias Dr. Balach, made at least 14 calls to Indian numbers beginning with +91-11 between July and August, investigators said. He also reportedly traveled to Delhi in 2023 on a fake passport, where RAW’s Baloch desk trained him in IED assembly, drone parcel bombs, and coded communications. These skills, authorities claimed, were later used in several BLA attacks inside Balochistan.
A seized USB drive and Thuraya satellite phone contained Google Earth-marked coordinates of five planned IED sites and an escape route toward Iran. Security sources said RAW’s “Ops Hub 7” in Delhi transmitted a six-minute directive on August 17, finalizing the planned assault.
The Mach raid brought the number of BLA militants killed in the recent crackdown to 56. Three others were captured wounded. Officials said the operation further exposed BLA’s reliance on external support to wage violence in the province.
Pakistani authorities described the discovery as fresh proof of RAW’s covert role in fueling unrest. They said each foiled plot undermines Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s “Defensive Offence” doctrine and strengthens prospects of peace and development in Balochistan.
