At least 25 people were killed in three separate attacks across Pakistan on Tuesday (September 2, 2025), underscoring the country’s deepening internal turmoil. At least 13 of them died in a suicide bombing at a political rally in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.

The blast, which ripped through a parking lot outside a stadium where hundreds had gathered for a Balochistan National Party (BNP) rally, left dozens wounded, seven of them critically injured. Party chief Akhtar Mengal had just exited after addressing supporters when the explosion occurred. He later confirmed he was safe.

Why is Balochistan paying the highest price?

Pakistan’s largest and most resource-rich province Balochistan remains its poorest. Despite massive Chinese investment under the Belt and Road Initiative, locals argue the benefits bypass them, fueling anger and resentment. It is also the richest Pakistani province in terms of natural resources.

The region shares a volatile border with Iran and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Balochistan also boasts a vast coastline along the Arabian Sea. For years, Pakistani forces have battled a simmering insurgency here, with violence sharply escalating in 2024. Data also suggests that 2024 was the deadliest year in Pakistan in nearly a decade as 2,526 people were killed in the attacks during the year.

How fragile is Balochistan’s border with Iran?

In another attack the same day, five paramilitary personnel were killed and four others wounded when a roadside bomb targeted their convoy near Balochistan’s border with Iran. No group claimed responsibility.

This sheds light on the volatile mix of insurgency, cross-border militancy, and state repression that has turned Balochistan into Pakistan’s most combustible region.

What happened in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?

Violence wasn’t limited to Balochistan. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu city, six soldiers died after militants launched a suicide assault on a paramilitary base. Attackers rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the Frontier Corps camp gate before storming inside. A fierce 12-hour gun battle ended only after all six assailants were killed.

The militant group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan claimed responsibility for the strike.

Is Pakistan losing control over its own provinces?

Since January 1, more than 430 people, most of them security personnel, have been killed in violence across Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to AFP figures. The attacks highlight a troubling reality – Pakistan’s own security forces and political gatherings are now prime targets within its borders.

Seems like Pakistan is bleeding from within, caught between separatist resentment in Balochistan and militant insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For a state already grappling with economic collapse, its inability to secure its provinces raises an uncomfortable question – is Pakistan at war with itself?