BLA commander among eight militants slain

Home minister says drive against hate material under way

QUETTA: A Baloch insurgent group commander and seven other militants were killed in a series of raids carried out by security forces in Panjgur, Turbat, Quetta and Kalat over the last week, provincial Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Monday.

Some 15 other militants belonging to the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) and Lashkar-e-Balochistan were also arrested in the same period, the provincial minister told a news conference.

“Sabzal Bugti, a well-known commander of BLA, was among the militants killed. Two camps of Baloch militants were also destroyed,” he said. “Security forces have carried out three to four massive operations in Panjgur, Quetta and Kalat.”

Security forces had conducted the operations on the basis of intelligence following the initiation of the National Action Plan, which was formed in the aftermath of Peshawar school tragedy. “The slain militants were involved in highway holdups, kidnappings and attacks on security forces,” he said.

He pointed out that two suicide bombers were killed and a huge cache of arms and ammunition was seized from the hideouts of TTP in Qila Saifullah. “The provincial government is pursuing the policy framed by the interior ministry,” he remarked.

According to Sarfraz Bugti, several militants belonging to the TTP factions had been killed and many arrested during the operations in Zhob, Ziarat and Pishin areas of Balochistan.

Responding to a question about the dumping of mutilated bodies in different parts of Balochistan, he referred to the possible influence of Indian intelligence agency RAW and Afghan Intelligence NDS as most of the bodies could not be identified. “The bodies of many Afghan nationals were found in Balochistan last year. Security forces have started investigations in this regard.”

2,000 religious seminaries

The minister said that there are around 2,000 registered religious seminaries in Balochistan – the number of unregistered ones, however, is anybody’s guess. He reiterated that the government is determined to take action against private militias and unregistered political organisations in Balochistan, adding, “There is no room for those organizations or political parties which do not exist on the list of Pakistan Election Commission.”

Bugti also spoke about the campaign against shops selling hate material and literature. “The raids have been carried out province-wide and dozens of shopkeepers have been detained.”

He said that repatriation of Afghan refugees is one of the major issues and the Balochistan government has taken it up with the federal interior ministry. “Security forces have arrested hundreds of immigrants in Balochistan and further operation is still under way.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2015.