The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for a series of operations in Kharan, Kalat, Nushki, Quetta and Shahrag areas of Balochistan. It stated that seven individuals working as informants for Pakistani military agencies or as members of alleged state-backed armed networks were killed, while a safe house used by one such group was destroyed.
In a statement issued to the media, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the operations formed part of the organisation’s campaign against what it describes as “death squads” and intelligence networks operating in support of Pakistani security forces. According to the statement, BLA fighters destroyed a building in the Barshonk area of Kharan after planting explosives. The organisation alleged that the location was being used as a safe house by members of a “death squad”, an armed group it claims operates with state backing, reports The Balochistan Post.
The group also claimed to have detained an individual identified as Sameer, son of Rafiq and a resident of Barshonk. The BLA alleged that, during questioning, he admitted involvement in activities linked to security agencies, including providing information that led to the killing of a BLA member, Ali Jan, also known as Sudes, last month. The organisation further alleged that he admitted involvement in criminal activities in the area. These claims could not be independently verified.
Pakistan Military Intelligence Operative
In another operation, the BLA said it detained a man identified as Tahir, son of Chaudhry Mubarak and a resident of Multan, in the Iskalku area of Kalat. The organisation alleged that he was a serving member of Pakistan’s Military Intelligence (MI) operating undercover in the region. According to the BLA, Tahir admitted during questioning that he had recently been deployed to Kalat and was involved in intelligence-gathering activities. No official response to the allegation was available at the time of publication.
The organisation also claimed responsibility for the killing of an individual identified as Shoaib, son of Akhtar Mohammad Mengal, in Nushki. According to the BLA, he had allegedly been tasked with infiltrating the group on behalf of Pakistani security agencies. The organisation said he was killed while attempting to escape after coming under suspicion.
The BLA further stated that it killed another man, Babu Gulistan Mengal, in Nushki on 6 June. The organisation accused him of assisting Pakistani forces and recruiting informants in the area. It said he had previously been warned against continuing such activities.
According to the statement, another individual alleged to be associated with Military Intelligence was killed in the Ahmedwal area of Nushki. The BLA claimed the man had been observed travelling with military personnel and conducting intelligence-related activities in the area. No evidence supporting the allegation was provided.
Counter Terrorism Department Staff
The organisation also referred to an earlier attack carried out on May 4 in Quetta’s Badini Road area, where it claimed responsibility for the killing of Feroz Marri, son of Lal Mohammad Mazarani. The BLA alleged that he worked with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and maintained links with intelligence agencies. It further accused him of facilitating military operations and enforced disappearances.
In a separate case, the BLA said it had detained a man identified as Taj Mohammad Sumalani from the Shahrag area. According to the organisation, he admitted to working as an informant for Pakistani military and providing information that contributed to the disappearance of relatives and other local residents. The BLA stated that what it described as a “Baloch national court” found him guilty of collaboration and sentenced him to death, after which the sentence was carried out.
In its statement, the BLA argued that individuals who cooperate with Pakistani intelligence agencies or participate in death squads, play a role in enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and operations against the Baloch national movement. The organisation said its actions were aimed at countering such networks and preventing what it characterises as internal collaboration with the state.
Pakistani authorities had not publicly responded to the specific allegations made in the statement at the time of publication.
The BLA is a Baloch nationalist armed group seeking independence for Balochistan and has frequently accused Pakistani security institutions of relying on local informants and armed proxies to counter the insurgency. State authorities have consistently rejected allegations of involvement in enforced disappearances and unlawful killings.
5 Women Injured in Death Squad Attack
Five women were injured, two of them seriously, when members of a locally known “Death Squad” attacked a house with hand grenades in the Khairabad area of Kech on Friday night, local sources said.The sources said two hand grenades were thrown at the house of Jamadar Jamand in Khairabad, causing explosions that injured the women.
Two of the injured were later transferred to Karachi for treatment because of the seriousness of their wounds, they added. Local sources alleged that the attackers belonged to a state-backed armed group locally referred to as a “Death Squad.”
The term is commonly used in Balochistan for armed militias accused by local residents, nationalist parties, and rights activists of targeting civilians, political workers, and people suspected of links to the Baloch nationalist movement.
Baloch nationalist groups have long alleged that such groups operate with the support or protection of state institutions, while law enforcement agencies often fail to act against them.
