“Operation Marg-e-br Sarmchar” new battlefield?

So far, nine people have been confirmed dead in the targeting of alleged militant hideouts in Sistan (سیستان )and Baluchistan provinces of Pakistan and Iran.

  Several terrorists were killed during the operation based on intelligence inputs. The operation came within 24 hours of Iranian forces attacking alleged Jaish-e-Adal hideouts in Sabz Koh area of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province.

  This operation has been codenamed ‘Operation Marg-e- ber Sarmachar’ and was carried out based on intelligence input.

The word”  برگ مر سرمچار “is a Persian phrase that literally means “death of the surmachars”. People associated with Baloch separatist organizations use the word ‘Sarmchar(سرمچار )’ for themselves, which means ‘Bahadur’ and ‘gorilla’ in the Brahvi language.

 Utmost care was taken to avoid “collateral damage” in this action. Targets in Iran were used by errorists.

Sarawan(سراوان) is located 347 kilometers southeast of Zahedan, the capital of Iran’s Sistan(سیستان) Baluchistan province, which shares a border with Pakistan.

Several Baloch separatist groups have been active in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province and adjoining areas for decades and have claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks on Pakistan’s security forces, police, and vital installations in the past. Two of the major names are the Baluchistan Liberation Front (BLF) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). The current chief of BLF is Dr Allah Nazar Baloch while BLA is headed by Bashir Zeb.

Pakistan has said for years that militants linked to these separatist groups are taking shelter in Iran. A statement issued by the PLF spokesman after the Pakistani action in Iran said that the Baluchistan Liberation Front has no bases in Iran. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) came into existence in the early 1970s when an armed uprising against the state of Pakistan broke out in Baluchistan during the first tenure of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The Baloch Liberation Army also went into the background after Zia-ul-Haq’s seizure of power and the temporary end of the armed insurgency because of negotiations with Baloch nationalist leaders. After the arrest of nationalist leader Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri in connection with the murder of Baluchistan High Court judge Justice Nawaz Murree during the tenure of former President Pervez Musharraf, a new series of attacks on government institutions and security forces started in different areas of Baluchistan. Most of these attacks were claimed by the BLA, after which in 2006 the Government of Pakistan added BLA to the list of banned organizations. The organization has also been opposed to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project and has targeted Chinese targets in Pakistan in its recent operations.

The first suicide attack claimed by the BLA in August 2018 was carried out by Aslam Baloch’s son near Dalbandin, the headquarters of Chaghi district. Chinese engineers were also on the bus that was targeted in the attack. Subsequently, the outlawed BLA claimed responsibility for the attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi in November 2018. The attack was carried out by three suicide bombers. It was only after this attack that the news of Aslam Achu’s death in an alleged suicide attack in Ainu mina area of Kandahar came. The BLF has been active in the Makran belt of Baluchistan and adjoining areas since 2004 under the leadership of Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch. The group has claimed responsibility for several attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent times. In January 2022, the banned outfit attacked a Pakistani army check post in Gwadar, Baluchistan, killing 10 Pakistani soldiers. The BLF has also been involved in attacks on non-local laborers and residents in Baluchistan. At present, Iran is under pressure internally as well as from Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in the Middle East that Iran is not doing anything currently.

On the night these attacks were carried out, meetings were also held between Pakistani and Iranian officials. According to him, the way Pakistan was attacked by Iran without provocation, due to which Pakistan’s expectations were hit, due to which this counterattack was done.

The question is, why did Pakistan decide to retaliate, so the answer is very simple that Pakistan does not want to allow Iran to treat Pakistan the way Iran often treats Iraq.

 On both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border, there are areas inhabited by joint separatists and militants of the two countries. Although this is the first time that Pakistan and Iran have acted, there are also reports in the media associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard that Iran’s military operations in Pakistan and Pakistan’s military operations in Iran have been done at the will of both countries. These reports can only be confirmed or denied by the officials of both countries, but in the past, both countries have taken mutually agreed actions against terrorists to help each other.

The joint border between Iran and Pakistan is about 1,000 kilometers long, where no troops were deployed until 2013, but under the defense agreement signed between Pakistan and Iran in 2013, the process of fencing the border was started and other security measures were also taken. More than smuggling and human trafficking to Iran, the problem with Pakistan has been sectarian and racist militancy. Jaish al-Adal is considered a threat to both Pakistan and Iran, and in the past both countries have carried out operations against such groups.

Observers closely monitoring Iran and Pakistan believe that the recent tensions between the two countries will have a negative impact on the entire region.

The first round between the two countries is over and the ball is once again in Iran’s court. Now it remains to be seen how they react to Pakistan’s action. Pakistan’s decision to target anti-Pakistan militant groups on Iranian soil instead of Iranians shows that Pakistan has found a balance between responding and preventing matters from escalating further. However, after the attacks on each other by the two countries, it may happen that things will deteriorate slowly rather than quickly.  A new tradition can be established here just like it is between Pakistan and India on both sides of the Line of Control.

It seems unlikely that tensions between the two countries will suddenly ease after Pakistan’s counter-attack targeted Iran-based militants. Hardliners in Iran will insist on retaliation against Pakistan. The growing mistrust between the two countries could fuel a new wave of militancy between Iran and Pakistan in the Baluchistan region, further complicating the already complex security situation in the region. After India’s support to Iran, it seems that under the cover of these attacks, Pakistan can also be pushed towards the worst sectarianism.

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