A large number of armed men have blockaded the main Karachi-Quetta highway in the Gazenai area of Manguchar, Kalat district, local sources said on Saturday.
The attackers reportedly set up checkpoints, stopped vehicles, checked ID cards, and conducted inspections along the highway.
Sources said the armed men targeted supply vehicles belonging to the Saindak project, using RPGs and other heavy weapons. Several vehicles were reportedly damaged during the assault.
The blockade of the national highway remained ongoing at the time of reporting. Pakistani authorities have yet to comment on the situation.
Meanwhile, a large number of armed men reportedly set up a road blockade on the Zubaida Jalal (Turbat-Mand) Highway in the Asiabad area of Kech’s Tump region late Saturday night.
According to local sources, the blockade lasted for several hours, during which the armed men conducted snap-checks and inspections of vehicles along the highway. No casualties have been reported in connection with the incident.
It should be noted that attacks and blockades on highways and convoys linked to resource projects have sharply increased in Balochistan in recent months.
Earlier this year, in a similar attack in Mangochar, armed fighters targeted a Saindak convoy, damaging eleven vehicles and reportedly killing seven Pakistani soldiers escorting the convoy. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) later claimed responsibility.
BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said at the time that the group’s fighters had ambushed a 30-vehicle convoy belonging to a Chinese company under Pakistani military escort and vowed to continue attacks against “exploitative” resource extraction.
Separately, in February, seven “Punjab-bound travelers” were reportedly forced off a vehicle and executed at a roadblock in Barkhan district.
The Baloch Liberation Army later claimed responsibility for the killings, accusing the deceased of being Pakistani military and intelligence personnel. The group identified former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aashiq Hussain among those killed.
In March, the Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), an alliance of “pro-independence” groups, claimed it had set up roadblocks at more than 30 locations across Balochistan, disrupting traffic for several hours. The group said its fighters identified and killed security personnel travelling in passenger buses and destroyed multiple vehicles, including an LPG tanker.
Analysts say the rising number of road ambushes, highway blockades, and attacks on resource projects reflect a shift in tactics by Baloch armed groups, who increasingly target economic infrastructure and military convoys in an effort to weaken state control and assert their own authority in the region.
Attack on Pakistani military post in Zamuran
Meanwhile, in Kech district’s Zamuran Tehsil, armed individuals attacked a Pakistani military post in the Jamki Tank area.
Explosions and heavy gunfire were heard during the assault, with local sources reporting casualties, although the exact number remains unclear.
In recent days, a Pakistani military convoy truck was destroyed in a remote-controlled IED attack in Zamuran’s Tigraan area. Four soldiers were killed and four others injured in that incident, which was later claimed by the BLA.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for Saturday’s post attack.
Hand grenade attack on police lines in Bolan
In a separate incident, unknown attackers targeted police lines in the Dhadar area of Bolan district.
Police officials said a hand grenade was thrown at the police compound during the night, damaging a water tanker but causing no casualties.
The attackers reportedly fled the scene, and no group has claimed responsibility.
Ongoing Pakistani military operation in Mastung
Separately, a military operation is reportedly underway for the second consecutive day in the Spilanjai area of Mastung district.
So far, no arrests or casualties have been reported from the operation. Authorities have not issued any public statement regarding the situation.