The Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) said on Monday that its fighters captured a man they identified as a military informant and mercenary, published a list of alleged confessions and payments, and then killed him after confronting death-squad elements. Separately, the Baloch Republican Guards (BRG) said its fighters detonated a remote-control IED against a police patrol near a cotton factory in Dera Allah Yar.
In a statement circulated to media, BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said BLF fighters detained a man identified as Muslim s/o Nematullah, resident of Mand Hozai, in Gobard on 5 October. The BLF said that during interrogation Muslim “confessed” to acting as an informant for military intelligence and to participating in or facilitating several killings of Baloch civilians and activists.
According to the BLF account, Muslim admitted providing information and assistance in the killings of Sana s/o Shaukat; Izhar s/o Mujeeb; and Mulla Bahram in the Mand area. He allegedly also confirmed informing on and helping to arrange the killing on 13 July in the Josk area of Turbat of Hamal s/o Wahid Bakhsh, resident of Gomazi, and the 6 September killing of Jalal s/o Haji Yar Muhammad, in Gomazi.
The BLF said Muslim told interrogators that he carried out at least some of these tasks on orders from a former guerrilla turned “death-squad” operative known as Sagheer alias Bilal, who had surrendered some years earlier. The BLF named a serving officer of the Pakistani army, Colonel Hafeez, as the person who allegedly gave the order in the Josk case and said Muslim received 25,000 rupees for that information. The group further alleged that Muslim provided phone-based information that led Saeed s/o Tehsildar Abid and his associates to kill Jalal, and that Muslim and an associate were paid 20,000 rupees for that tip.
The BLF statement also said Muslim admitted to informing on a youth who was later forcibly disappeared in Turbat; for that information he was allegedly paid 25,000 rupees and later directed to move to Mand. Muslim purportedly confessed to direct participation in the killings of Izhar s/o Mujeeb and Mulla Bahram, saying he and three companions murdered Izhar inside his shop while he was riding a motorcycle; one of the companions fired the fatal shots. The BLF said the perpetrators later reached a military camp and were paid 10,000 rupees by the Pakistani military that day, and that on the same day the group also killed Mulla Bahram and received 15,000 rupees for that action. The BLF said these two tasks had been assigned by the surrendered operative Sagheer alias Bilal.
The BLF further alleged Muslim admitted to locating phone numbers of BLF fighters and passing them to the military so they could be traced; the group said he was paid 50,000 rupees for that work.
Citing the confessions and documentary material it said it had recovered, the BLF said its fighters shot and killed Muslim on 9 October. The group added that on the same night, while BLF fighters were moving through the Dasht area near Khadan, they were followed and fired upon by death-squad operatives. In the ensuing clash the BLF said a death-squad member named Mahboob s/o Babu, resident of Makser, was killed and another death-squad member wounded; BLF fighters reportedly withdrew safely after the exchange.
The BLF accused the two alleged informants of involvement in extortion of vehicles linked to the oil trade, collecting protection money under the supervision of Nadal, targeted killings of young people, bloody operations in collusion with the military, and other crimes including the drug trade. The group said it accepts responsibility for killing Muslim and Mahboob and warned that it holds details of other collaborators whom it intends to “bring to account.”
In a separate statement, the Baloch Republican Guards (BRG) said its fighters detonated a remote-control IED on Monday near a police post on the main highway at Dera Allah Yar, close to a cotton factory. The BRG said the blast caused “casualties” and damage among police personnel and that the group accepts responsibility for the attack. Local authorities had not released an official casualty or damage toll at the time of publication.