23 Baloch rebels lay down arms

The militants belonged to the Baloch Liberation Army and the United Baloch Army

QUETTA: As many as 23 Baloch rebels, including two commanders on Thursday surrendered to the authorities, the latest insurgents to lay down their arms in Balochistan.

The militants belonged to the banned Baloch Liberation Army and the United Baloch Army, which have long been fighting government forces.



"The militants pledged their allegiance to (the) state of Pakistan and declared that they would not take arms in future against their own country," provincial minister for Irrigation and Energy Nawab Jangez Marri said at a press conference held in Quetta.

Marri, who is also chief of his Marri tribe, said the government would bring these men into the  mainstream and give them jobs.

“The peaceful Balochistan package is being implemented," he said.

"We have been misled and asked to fight against our own country which was wrong," said one of the two commanders, Marjan Khan, who handed over their weapons.