The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has released three of the ten men abducted last week from the Shahban picnic spot on the outskirts of Quetta. The BLA’s Fateh Squad detained the men on June 20, suspecting them of activities against the Baloch national movement.
According to Muhammad Ajmal, head of the Levies Control Room, the released individuals include customs official Baseer Durrani and Hassnain Raza, while the third individual remains unidentified. He said that the Levies were informed of the releases after one of the detainees’ families notified them.
A large group of people had gathered in the Shahban area for a picnic on June 20 when armed men surrounded the area and began checking the national identity cards of the picnickers. Eyewitnesses said that initially, fourteen individuals were detained, but after verification, four were released, and the remaining ten were taken away.
Shortly after the abductions, the BLA issued a statement claiming responsibility. According to the BLA’s statement, their elite unit ‘Fateh Squad’ acted on intelligence, suspecting the individuals of being Pakistani intelligence agents. The BLA said they would interrogate the detainees and investigate their movements within Balochistan. The group indicated that if the suspects were found guilty, they would be dealt with accordingly.
In a media statement released on Wednesday, the BLA announced that three of the ten individuals had been proven innocent and released. BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said that the suspects were presented before the ‘Baloch National Court,’ where seven were found guilty of collaborating with the Pakistani army and intelligence agencies. The three individuals found innocent have been released.
The released individuals were identified as Muhammad Haris Rafi, son of Muhammad Rafi, resident of Multan, Punjab; Hussnain Sial, son of Abdul Ahad Sial, resident of Quetta; and Abdul Baseer Durrani, son of Abdul Aziz Durrani, resident of Quetta.
The seven individuals found guilty have been charged with activities against the Baloch national movement, aiding the Pakistani army in alleged genocidal actions against the Baloch people, and undermining Baloch national interests. Their sentences will be carried out shortly, according to the BLA.
Jeeyand Baloch further said that the senior command council has decided to offer a prisoner exchange to the Pakistani army, adhering to international wartime principles. The Pakistani army has one week to respond to this offer. If no response is received within the deadline, the sentences will be executed immediately.
As of now, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, has not issued a response to the BLA’s offer of a prisoner exchange. The lack of response from ISPR leaves the situation unresolved, with the fate of the seven remaining detainees uncertain.
Video of the Shaban raid released by BLA: https://archive.org/details/shahban-ibo