《國家智庫報告：“一帶一路”視野下中國在印度洋四大經濟走廊的發(fā)展（英文版）》：
　　Located in the southwestern region of Pakistan, Balochistan covers an area of about 340,000 square km and has a population of about 7.5 million. Bordered by Afghanistan and Iran, the coastal province is a key trade thoroughfare connecting South Asia to the Middle East and Central Asia. In recent years, spates of violent clashes and terrorist attacks have occurred in Balochistan. As security continues to deteriorate, Balochistan has become the region most affected by terrorist activities. Major armed groups active in this province include, among others, Balochistan Liberation Army, Baloch Republican Army and Lashkar-e- Jhangvi. In 2012 and 2013, Balochistan saw 474 and 487 terrorist attacks respectively, resulting in thousands of casualties. The main causes of these deadly attacks include disputes over resource development and distribution, ethnic and religious conflicts, and the impact of the chaos in Afghanistan.
　　First, the province's natural resources development and distribution is main cause of turbulence. Balochistan is extremely rich in natural resources. In addition to Pakistan's key mining areas, the province is also home to Sui, Uch and other large natural gas reserves. However, while exploiting the province's mineral wealth, the federal government of Pakistan failed to satisfy local interests and address local construction and development issues properly, triggering dissatisfaction among locals. Balochistan receives less than 10% of the annual tax contribution of about 1.4 billion US dollars to the federal government on natural gas revenue. Due to the serious shortage of funds, Balochistan's livelihood development projects are struggling. Its education, culture, sanitarian, health and other indicators are among the lowest in the country. As a result of poverty and backwardness, except a small number of cities, most areas of the province still maintain the Sardari tribal system, a hierarchy where the head is a sardar. The state administration has never been able to replace tribal chiefs in their positions of authority. When it comes to development of natural resources and related infrastructure and the increase in foreign investment and workers, tribal chiefs are frowning over the possibility of their ruling power being weakened, unfair distribution of income from natural resources in the province by the federal government and the marginalization of the local population due to the increase in foreign population. These concerns have driven the tribes to take up arms against the federal army and government.
　　Second, Balochistan is enmeshed in conflicts between religious and ethnic groups. In general, local armed groups can be divided into the following three categories: （1） Armed groups demanding provincial autonomy or full separation of Balochistan from Pakistan. Such organizations generally demand liberalization or the establishment of an independent state because of the unfair distribution of income from natural resources. Take Balochistan Liberation Army （BLA） as an example. Most members of the BLA are drawn from the Marri tribe. The goal of the BLA is to found a Great Balochistan nation for the Baloch population in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. The activities of these organizations are devastating. They have launched a string of attacks on mineral resource development, infrastructure and other projects of the Pakistani govemment. Statistics show that, between 2005 and 2014, there were 220 attacks on natural gas pipelines and security forces guarding natural gas facilities, most of which were claimed by the BLA and the Bugti tribe. （2） Armed groups seeking to gain income by kidnapping, attacks and other means because of poverty and other reasons. Although above-mentioned armed groups with political demands may also use a similar approach, relatively speaking, the behavior of politically-motivated armed groups is more extreme with easier access to intemational funding. （3） Religiously-motivated armed groups. Religious conflicts and tribal conflicts often overlap. For example, in recent years, the frequency of attacks and killings of Hazaras who are Shi'a Muslims has increased significantly. Half of the 208 sectarian clashes in Pakistan in 2013 targeted Slu'a Muslims, including Hazaras.
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