Balochistan unrest: BRA commander arrested in Panjgur raid

Five other BRA fighters surrender to army, FC officials in Sui.

QUETTA: Security and intelligence officials arrested a commander of a banned organisation in Panjgur district of Balochistan on Thursday as five other Baloch militants surrendered to authorities elsewhere in the province.

“Balaach, a commander of the banned Baloch Republican Army (BRA), was arrested from the Sabzab area of Panjgur following a joint search operation carried out by the Frontier Corps (FC) and intelligence agencies,” an FC spokesman told The Express Tribune. The search operation was conducted following a tip-off on BRA presence in the district, he said.

According to the spokesman, Balaach was involved in attacks on security forces and other militant activity in Panjgur district. Weapons were recovered from the wanted commander’s possession upon arrest, he added.

Meanwhile, five other BRA fighters, including a commander, laid down their arms in Sui on Thursday.

“Toota Khan Hajwani Bugti surrendered before FC and army officials along with four of his gunmen,” an FC spokesman said. The ceremony was attended by a large number of tribal elders as well, he added.

According to the spokesman, the commander handed over four sub-machine guns (SMGs), 20 SMG magazines, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher with three RPG rounds and satellite phone to authorities upon his surrender.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 17^th, 2015.