Gas Pipeline Bombed in Baluchistan; Separatist Insurgency Suspected

QUETTA, Pakistan — A natural gas pipeline was destroyed in a bombing attack in southern Pakistan on Monday, disrupting supply to several districts in the restive Balochistan province, according to a government official. No group has immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on separatist insurgents active in the region.

An 18-inch-diameter main gas supply line was blown up by unidentified assailants on the outskirts of Quetta, the provincial capital, a spokesman for the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) told Reuters. The attack halted gas supplies to large parts of Quetta and at least five other districts, the spokesman added.

Engineers have been deployed to repair the damaged pipeline, though officials indicated that restoration could take time due to the extent of the damage and security concerns at the site.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most impoverished province, has long been the epicenter of a low-intensity insurgency. Separatist groups have waged a decades-long campaign against the state, frequently targeting infrastructure, government installations, and security forces. The insurgents accuse the central government in Islamabad of exploiting the region’s vast natural gas and mineral resources while neglecting the local population’s economic and political rights.

The attack comes amid a recent uptick in violence in the province, with separatist factions increasingly using bombings and targeted killings to disrupt energy infrastructure and assert their demands.

While no group has yet claimed Monday’s bombing, the modus operandi is consistent with previous attacks carried out by Baloch militant organizations. Authorities have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down those responsible.

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