India backing BLA attack in Balochistan, targeting U.S. interests, says Sikh Rights Group

Washington: A deadly attack on civilians in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province carried out by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) was a direct assault not only on Pakistan but also on U.S. strategic and economic interests under the Trump administration, a Sikh advocacy group said on Tuesday.

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a U.S.-based group, accused India of sponsoring and directing the attack through its external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), under the leadership of India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The BLA is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.

In a statement, SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said the violence was “manufactured and weaponized by Modi’s India” with the dual aim of destabilizing Pakistan and discouraging U.S. investment in the country.

“An attack on civilians in Balochistan by Indian-sponsored terrorism is an attack not only on Pakistan, but on American interests in Pakistan and directly on the Trump administration,” Pannun said.

He alleged that Indian media and affiliated policy voices quickly framed the attack as a “wake-up call,” which he described as a coordinated narrative designed to poison the investment climate and deter U.S. engagement in Pakistan.

“My blood is boiling seeing innocent bloodshed by Indian terrorists,” Pannun said in an emotional statement.

Pakistan’s military has said it has killed hundreds of militants in counterterrorism operations in Balochistan over recent years, blaming insurgent violence on external backing. Indian officials have repeatedly denied supporting militant groups inside Pakistan and have rejected similar accusations in the past.

Pannun argued that military action alone would not end what he called India-backed terrorism and urged Pakistan to respond by supporting separatist movements inside India. He specifically called for arming and funding the Khalistan Liberation Army, which seeks independence for Indian-administered Punjab — a demand India considers illegal and extremist.

The killings in Balochistan, Pannun said, represent a proxy war by India’s government aimed at undermining U.S. economic strategy in the region and challenging Washington’s regional policies.