The Counter-Terrorism Department of Pakistan has claimed that it killed nine alleged ‘militants’ belonging to Baloch “pro-independence” groups in an armed confrontation in Mastung on Saturday and recovered weapons and ammunition from them. Considering the CTD’s chequered history of “fake encounters”, rights activists fear that the nine alleged ‘militants’ might actually be Baloch missing persons who were systematically rounded up and shot at point-blank range.
The CTD spokesperson said that based on an intelligence report, they carried out a raid on a hideout of Baloch “pro-independence” group in the mountainous area of Roshi, Mastung, and killed nine “militants” belonging to the Baloch Liberation Army, the Balochistan Liberation Front and the United Baloch Army – all three major armed groups waging a long-lasting insurgency against the Pakistani forces. The spokesperson said that the CTD had managed to seize a large cache of weapons, including RPG’s, explosive material, detonators and nine submachine guns during the operation.
The CTD said that those in the camp had also fought back and fired several shots at the forces, but they were vastly outnumbered and overwhelmed. The CTD said that a case has been registered against the slain individuals and their “accomplices” and further operations will be carried out in different areas of Balochistan to corner the “militants.”
The spokesperson said that “terrorists” were trained in the said camp and sent to the provincial capital Quetta and other regions of Balochistan to carry out attacks. He said that the camp has been completely destroyed.
The slain individuals are yet to be identified, but many suspect that this episode is another “fake encounter” where the Pakistani forces have rounded up innocent Baloch missing persons and shot them dead. Earlier in August, the CTD had made a similar claim, arguing that it had killed members of the BLF during a raid. Subsequent independent investigations painted a different picture – the alleged “militants” were actually missing persons who had been detained from Panjgoor. The family sources also confirmed their status as missing persons to The Balochistan Post.
Saddam Baloch – who went missing from Karachi in April 2018 – was portrayed as a Baloch “pro-independence” fighter and shot dead in a “fake encounter” by the Counter-Terrorism Department. His family denied these claims and said that he worked as a labourer in the Emirates. He was coming home on a vacation when the Pakistani security forces cut his journey short.