Pakistan-Iran strikes: Where is Balochistan and why is it being targeted?
Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province and although it has more resources than other provinces, it is the least developed.
The name Balochistan can also be used to refer to a wider area that includes land in Iran and Afghanistan. In the past week, both Iran and Pakistan have launched strikes across each other's borders targeting militants in the region.
To understand the escalation in fighting, here's a closer look at Balochistan, which has a distinct cultural and historical identity.
Where is Balochistan and why is it important?
The largest part of Balochistan is in south-western Pakistan. The Pakistani province covers nearly 44% of the country's total land but is home to only 6% of the country's 241 million people. Its history is marred by insurgency, militancy, and human rights violations.
Sharing a volatile border with Iran and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Balochistan also boasts a vast coastline along the Arabian Sea.
The region derives its name from the Baloch tribe, which has resided here for centuries. Balochs remain the largest ethnic group, followed by the Pashtuns. Many Baloch people also live in the neighbouring Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan, as well as in Afghanistan.
Balochistan stands out as the richest Pakistani province in terms of natural resources, including gas and minerals and is a crucial part of a multi-billion dollar project funded by China called the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The project is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative, with the deep-sea port in the city of Gwadar, near the Gulf of Oman, seen as a vital checkpoint.
China is also involved in mining projects here and the construction of an international airport in Gwadar, which insurgent groups in Pakistan fiercely oppose.
A Canadian mining company, Barrick Gold, holds a 50% stake in a Balochistan mine called Reko Diq, which is considered to be one of the world's largest underdeveloped sites for copper and gold.
What's behind the unrest?
Local groups in both Pakistan and Iran are part of a decades-long struggle for greater autonomy in Balochistan.
Recent cross-border tensions escalated with Iran's attack on Pakistan on 16 January, which Pakistan said killed two children. Pakistan retaliated with a missile strike inside Iranian territory, which Iran says killed nine people.
Iran claimed it was targeting Jaish al-Adl, a militant group active against Iran, while Pakistan said it was aiming at the "hideouts" of two militant groups inside Iran, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF).
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