Terrorism pertained to be a critical menace to international security in varying parts of the globe with differing tendencies. Especially, when it happens to the situation of South Asia and its regional environment where several tumults or geopolitical shifts were being noticed since the start of 21st Century. The factor of terrorism incited on basis of secessionist ideologies of existing ethnonationalist militant organizations or by the radically instigated religious groups inside Pakistan or in the other states that shares borders with the mean state mainly targeted the spots that were on land.

Despite all such developments, there were numerous activities of terrorism that comes under the context of “Maritime Terrorism” that impacted the position of Pakistan and its naval assets as well as to be happened in some cases within the borders of neighboring states of Pakistan, like India. There is no doubt that several important factors can impact the opportunities for Pakistan in cases of geopolitical and geoeconomics shift with regard to blue economy’s factor attached to joint venture with China, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Maritime Terrorism is a term that can be defined as “the undertaking of terrorist acts and activities within the maritime environment, using or against vessels or fixed platforms at sea, or in port; or against any one of their passengers or personnel, against coastal facilities or settlements, including tourist resorts, port areas and port towns or cities”. The prospective threat to maritime security dimension of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is visible with possibilities from the tide of ‘Maritime Terrorism’ which can not only impact the blue economy’s ambitions of Pakistan, but also bring a possible setback for China’s vision under gamechanger project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

In the past, Pakistan remained a target of few but very impactful terrorist activities that were linked with the aspect of maritime terrorism in direct or indirect manner. Al Qaeda’s faction for South Asia also known as “Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS)” used the tactic of maritime terrorism in 2014 for trying to usurp the PNS Zulfiqar Frigate of Pakistan Navy, the mean frigate was berthed at Karachi from where the plan of terrorists was to use the vessel for attacking a US Naval Warships in the Strait of Hormuz or Arabian Sea.

There was another case in which the terrorists of Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) along with Al Qaeda initiated an attack over the headquarters of Pakistan Navy’s Air Arm at PNS Mehran Base in Karachi. That was a potential terrorist activity which costed Pakistan Navy with killings of 18 personnel and destruction of two P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft.

The case is not only limited to the so-called ‘Jihadists” being part of maritime terrorism to hurt the interests of America and punishing of Pakistan for taking part in “War on Terror”, but also Pakistan had to pay the price in terms of terror attacks against tourist spots or factors that are important for the aspect of trade and economy inside the context CPEC by terrorists of Baloch ethnonationalist militant organizations operating with proved backing of India inside Balochistan province of Pakistan. Like it is mentioned before that such attacks may not fall directly under the context of maritime terrorism, but one can generally match the dots of terrorist attacks by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and other secessionist elements on Chinese Consulate General and Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi, and Pearl Continental Hotel inside port city of Gwadar as foundational steps towards the aspect of maritime terrorism.

There is no doubt that BLA and other Baloch secessionist (or terrorist) organizations are engaged in land-based guerilla attacks against Pakistan Army and paramilitary force like Frontier Corps (FC) in Balochistan. But making a stance of being in position to hurt Pakistan’s as well as China’s interests in shape of CPEC gives an indication that in future, Baloch ethnonationalist militants can use maritime terrorism tactics targeting ports, military and security installations, tourist spots, cargo ships and even civilians like fishermen.

The personnel and base of Pakistani Navy were even being targeted by the terrorists of BLA in the years of 2021 and 2022, inside the two different districts of Balochistan including Turbat and Gwadar. In Gwadar, the attack by operatives of BLA targeted the vehicle of Pakistan Navy’s Quick Reaction Force (QRF) with automatic rifles and hand grenades. Recently, in 2022, the rocket attack on a Pakistan Navy’s facilitation center and airbase was targeted inTurbat through firing of several rockets. There is no doubt that these two attacks were also having the tendency motivated towards Maritime Terrorism in indirect terms as well as the hurting of collective economic and geopolitical interests of Pakistan. These two attacks were also considered as a reaction to Pakistan Navy’s establishment of installations on coastline of Balochistan province.

Putting an observation with respect to the Critical Security Studies, or theoretical perspective, one can identify the point that this term relatively rejects the notion of realist or conventional perspectives in regard to the context of international security, the second point is that analyzing the meaning of security with threats to it, and the playing of politics around it, which can be determined as source of enabling some objectives of particular actors.

The former term gives a justification in its second argument that despite of having no direct experience in conducting of maritime terrorism by BLA or any other organization with same goals as BLA, they can justify their own versions of insecurity and exploiting the people and land of Balochistan to go for maritime terrorism and hurt the interests of Pakistan and China on basis of their blue economy or maritime trade’s objectives.One can justify the point that BLA and other Baloch nationalist groups have a conflict of interest with China and stands with the agenda that China along with Pakistan’s government is exploiting the people and resources of Balochistan.

This gives a term of understanding to undermine Pakistan’s sovereign position over Balochistan and its joint economic venture with China from the side of BLA by instigating their own point of security with aims of dirty politics and acting as a proxy of India to impact Pakistan’s legitimacy as well as through using the terror attacks against Pakistani security forces and Chinese citizens. Therefore, the possibilities for attacks over naval assets as well as military installations along with Chinese workers or engineers on the coastline where Gwadar exists, can become a vulnerability or target for the militants of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) or the Baluchistan Republican Army (BRA).

The possibilities of maritime terrorism in such cases can only be dealt by the state of Pakistan to extend the aspect of National Action Plan, 2015’s implementation towards maritime terrorism as well and to focus on the formulation of specific national security policy in compliance to legal terms of International Maritime Law as well as broader collaboration with Peoples Liberation Army’s Navy of China, with which Pakistani government is already collaborating in dealing with other major security threats like piracy and countering of hijacking of sea vessels.