Suspected BLA terrorist arrested in operation

South district DIG says suspects confessed to doing recce of targets for banned outfit

KARACHI:

An intelligence agency has arrested three suspects, including a notorious terrorist who is accused of facilitating attacks on security forces in Balochistan, it was revealed on Sunday. The terrorist, identified as Meraj, alias Mama, is suspected to have been involved in several reconnaissance missions and acts of terrorism.

Meraj is said to be affiliated with the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which is responsible for most bloodshed in Balochistan. Meraj, who used to do recce for the banned outfit, had provided critical intelligence on sensitive installations to the BLA, which subsequently carried out attacks on security forces based on his information.

According to Asad Raza, the spokesman for DIG District South, Meraj has made startling disclosures during interrogation. He confessed to being involved in reconnaissance of a military convoy travelling from Turbat city to Gwadar in 2017. This recce helped BLA terrorists to orchestrate an ambush, resulting in the martyrdom of army personnel.

He also disclosed that the perpetrators of the Karachi Stock Exchange assault were members of the Majeed Brigade of BLA. Meraj's reconnaissance of a military camp situated within a school premises in Naseerabad district of Balochistan, preceded an attack that claimed the lives of several soldiers.

Meraj's activities were not confined to reconnaissance alone. He was also responsible for the targeted killing of four relatives of a senior official of a sensitive institution. Moreover, he orchestrated attacks on the Gwadar port and Pakistan Navy airport after conducting reconnaissance operations.

Two more suspected terrorists, identified as Abdul Wahab and Tamachi Khan, were apprehended in a separate operation. A pistol and a 12-bore revolver were recovered from them. They have been handed over to Kalakot police for further legal proceedings.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2024.