KARACHI: Repair crews were awaiting security clearance on Thursday to restore a major gas pipeline damaged a day earlier in a blast authorities blamed on militants in Pakistan’s insurgency-hit Balochistan province, where security has been tightened ahead of Independence Day.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Baloch separatist groups have previously targeted energy and transport infrastructure in the resource-rich province, where coordinated militant attacks last month triggered dayslong security operations.
“The pipeline to Balochistan has been blown up by miscreants,” Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) Deputy Managing Director for Operations Syed Muhammad Saeed Rizvi told Arab News, adding that repair crews were ready but awaiting security clearance.
“We will do it as soon as security allows us to work in the area,” he said.
The blast damaged an 18-inch pipeline near Gorkat in Bolan district on Wednesday.
Rizvi said Karachi’s supplies would not be affected because SSGC had closed the relevant inlet valves, while areas of Balochistan were being supplied through an alternative pipeline.
The alternate line has a smaller diameter and can carry less gas, he said, adding that some areas could experience lower pressure, though none had been completely cut off.
Rizvi said repairs were expected to take one to two days once security clearance was granted.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Hamid Rind said the district administration and police were investigating the explosion and described those responsible as “terrorists,” without identifying any group.
The attack came as authorities stepped up security ahead of Pakistan’s Aug. 14 Independence Day, including by suspending 4G mobile Internet services across Balochistan until Thursday.
Baloch separatist groups have also carried out coordinated attacks around Independence Day in the past, including in 2024, when a series of attacks targeting civilian commuters, police officials and military installations killed at least 74 people.
Security concerns have been particularly acute since coordinated militant attacks on a police checkpoint and a military convoy in Balochistan last month prompted dayslong operations by security forces.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has faced a decades-long separatist insurgency. Baloch militant groups have repeatedly targeted security forces, energy and transport infrastructure and Chinese interests, saying the federal government exploits the
province’s mineral wealth without giving local people a fair share of its benefits.
The government rejects the charge, pointing to roads, ports and other infrastructure and development projects that it says are intended to create economic opportunities and improve livelihoods in the province.
