The incidents, which include the closure of a hospital and the disruption of a polio-vaccination transit point, have fuelled accusations that Pakistani forces are using "false-flag" tactics to stoke fear and turn public opinion against Baloch armed groups.

Residents of Kharan said that the armed men, travelling in groups, identified themselves as "sarmachars" -- a term commonly used for Baloch fighters -- while moving through different parts of the district. They claimed that the men carried weapons, entered public facilities, and threatened locals, creating an atmosphere of terror.

The Balochistan Post, which first reported the allegations, cited eyewitness accounts describing the men as speaking in a manner that suggested military or paramilitary training rather than typical guerrilla behaviour.

According to local sources, the group entered a government hospital in Killi Sarawan, ordered staff to stop working, shut down the facility, and warned employees not to reopen it, on pain of unspecified consequences.

The move effectively cut off medical services in a remote area where access to basic healthcare is already limited. The same group is also alleged to have targeted a polio-vaccination transit point in South City on Naurozabad Road, where they reportedly threatened vaccinators, stopped buses, and attempted to harass passengers and drivers.

Residents have alleged that the men function as a local "death squad" operating under the patronage of Pakistani forces and that the same armed individuals have been seen accompanying military patrols in the area. The proximity of their presence to official security operations has raised concerns that the state is using these groups to carry out deniable coercive actions against civilians.

The accusations come amid a broader climate of mistrust between sections of the Baloch population and Pakistani security forces, who are accused of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and other rights abuses in the region.

The latest allegations follow a spike in security activity in Kharan after Baloch armed fighters reportedly attacked Pakistani forces in an operation on Monday.

Residents said that the number of military personnel and checkpoints in the district has increased sharply since then, with tight curbs on movement and intense scrutiny of local men. The timing of the alleged impersonation incidents has led some activists to argue that the harassment is aimed at intimidating civilians and undermining support for Baloch armed groups, which have long demanded self-determination and control over the region's natural resources.

In a separate, related development, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed that it carried out its first maritime operation in the Jiwani area of Gwadar district, killing three Pakistani naval personnel. In a statement, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the group had formally established a naval wing, the Hammal Maritime Defence Force (HMDF), which conducted the attack on a Pakistan Coast Guard-style patrol boat at a location the group referred to as "Mil Tiyab" on the morning of April 12.

The BLA claimed that its fighters, armed with automatic weapons, opened indiscriminate fire on the vessel, killing all three personnel on board -- identified as Naik Afzal, Sepoy Jameel, and Sepoy Umar -- and then safely withdrawing to their hideouts.

The group released a two-minute-plus video purporting to show masked fighters moving towards the sea, boarding a speedboat, and approaching a patrolling vessel before opening fire. The footage has circulated widely on regional and diaspora-linked platforms, although it has not been independently verified.

In its statement, the BLA declared that the Baloch national independence movement has entered a new phase, expanding its operations beyond mountains and towns to the maritime domain. The group accused Pakistan and its "imperialist partners" of "illegally auctioning the Baloch seas," exploiting local fisheries, and turning coastal areas into military bases. The formation of the HMDF, it said, marks the beginning of a "national navy" that will challenge Pakistan's naval presence and protect Baloch maritime resources.

"We have now achieved the full capability to target the enemy in the deep seas, including its naval installations and assets," the BLA warned, adding that its campaign would continue until the "complete withdrawal" of Pakistani forces and the establishment of a "free and sovereign Baloch state." The claims, if substantiated, would represent a significant escalation in the Baloch insurgency, which has long been dominated by land-based guerrilla tactics and hit-and-run operations.

The juxtaposition of the Kharan impersonation allegations and the Gwadar maritime attack underscores the deepening volatility in Balochistan. While the Pakistani government has not yet issued an official comment on the specific claims of armed men posing as Baloch fighters, the BLA's maritime operation has drawn sharp criticism from Islamabad-based commentators and security analysts, who warn that the insurgency is becoming more technically sophisticated and harder to contain