Pakistan’s security forces foiled what officials described as a major terrorist attack after a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) targeted the Pakistan Coast Guards’ Panwan Check Post in Jiwani on Friday evening.
According to sources, the attack occurred at around 7:00 pm when an explosive-laden Mazda truck sped towards the Panwan Check Post, located approximately 10 kilometres from Jiwani city in Gwadar district. Personnel stationed at the post responded immediately, preventing the attackers from breaching the security perimeter.
Sources said the Coast Guards engaged the militants before they could enter the compound, neutralizing all attackers and successfully averting what they described as a potentially devastating attack.
Following the incident, the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack and released the identity and photograph of the bomber. According to the group’s statement, the attacker was Attaullah, son of Gaji Khan, a resident of Mashkai in Awaran district.
The identification has drawn attention because Attaullah had previously been listed as a “missing person” by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), the Baloch National Movement (BNM) and Paank, an organisation that has become a soft face of terrorism in Balochsitan and provides cover to BLA attackers, declaring them as missing while they are being trained in the mountains.
Before the attack, these organisations had claimed that Attaullah and his brother, Habibullah, had been missing since 27 February 2025, alleging that they were in the custody of Pakistani security institutions.
The BLA’s identification of Attaullah as its suicide bomber has intensified debate over missing persons cases in Balochistan. The case raises questions about some missing-person claims, certain individuals later emerge as members of banned militant organisations.
The organisations that had listed Attaullah as missing had also included his brother, Habibullah, in their campaign. Following the BLA’s statement, some security analysts have expressed concern that Habibullah could also be associated with a militant network.
Analysts have also pointed to previous cases that they say follow a similar pattern. They cited Hasnain Baloch, who was killed during a security operation in Kardagap, Mastung, on 1 June 2026. According to records, he had been listed as a missing person by Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) since 18 November 2018, while human rights activists had alleged that he was in state custody.
Previously cases involving Salim Baloch, Adil Baloch, Abdul Hameed, Rashid Baloch, Suhaib Lango and Karim Jan, they too had previously been portrayed as missing persons before later being identified as members of banned militant organisations.
A video circulated by the BLA following the Jiwani attack was digitally manipulated using artificial intelligence.
The latest developments have once again brought the issue of missing persons in Balochistan into the spotlight. Missing-person narratives are exploited by militant organisations to shield their members and wage a coordinated digital propaganda campaign against the state
