The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for killing four alleged members of a pro-military armed group in an attack in Panjgur district of Balochistan.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said the group’s fighters raided the Surdu area of Panjgur on Tuesday night and “neutralised” four men identified as Ghulam Sarwar, his sons Islam and Nizam, and Habibullah, a resident of Gresha in Khuzdar district.
The BLA alleged that Ghulam Sarwar had formed and led a so-called “death squad” under the patronage of Pakistani military and intelligence agencies, which had been active in Gichek and other parts of Panjgur for several years. According to the statement, the group was later led by his son, Islam Sarwar, and was involved in targeted killings, enforced disappearances, drug trafficking and extortion.
The statement said the fighters seized three Kalashnikov rifles, an M4, other weapons, as well as two vehicles and three motorcycles during the raid. It further alleged that the hideout had been used as a torture cell, claiming that instruments for electric shocks and other methods of torture were recovered.
The BLA also accused Islam Sarwar of being directly involved in the abduction and killing of a young man, Zeeshan Zaheer, in Panjgur two months ago. It said more associates linked to the murder of Zaheer and other youths had been identified and “will soon be brought to their logical conclusion.”