The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has released a video showing seven Pakistani army personnel in its custody, days after the group captured the soldiers during the second phase of “Operation Herof.”
In the footage, the detainees are seated in uniform at an undisclosed location while armed BLA fighters stand nearby. One of the soldiers identifies himself as Shams Tabraiz, son of Muhammad Quraish and a resident of Swabi, saying he was recruited into the Pakistan Army in October 2022 and holds the rank of Naik.
The soldier appeals to the Pakistan Army to meet the BLA’s stated demands so that the detainees may be released. The video also displays weapons and other equipment that the group says were seized from the personnel.
Local sources told The Balochistan Post that the soldiers were taken into custody on 31 January from the Ornach area of Khuzdar, where military convoys and foot patrols came under heavy attacks during the second phase of “Operation Herof.”
According to the sources, the detained soldiers were travelling from Ornach to Khuzdar Cantonment when they were intercepted. They said that Captain Umar was killed in the clashes, while a colonel-rank officer was injured after his armoured vehicle was hit by an IED.
One-week deadline for prisoner exchange
On Saturday, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said in a statement that seventeen Pakistani army personnel were taken into custody on various fronts of “Operation Herof 2.0.” He said ten of them were released after warnings due to their local identity and affiliation with police or Levies forces.
He said the remaining seven, described by the group as belonging to “regular units of the occupying Pakistani army,” remain in BLA custody and were presented before the “Baloch National Court,” where formal proceedings were conducted.
According to the statement, the detainees were charged with war crimes, actions against civilian populations, facilitating enforced disappearances, and participation in what the group described as the genocide of the Baloch people.
Jeeyand Baloch said the accused were given an opportunity to defend themselves, evidence was presented, and confessional statements were recorded before the court found them guilty.
He said the BLA’s Command Council had granted Pakistan a seven-day grace period, citing what he described as international norms of war and regulations governing prisoner exchanges. If Pakistan formally indicates willingness during this period, he said, the seven soldiers could be exchanged for what the group describes as Baloch prisoners of war.
The spokesperson added that the BLA had previously proposed prisoner exchanges “on various occasions,” but alleged that the Pakistani military failed to engage seriously and “ignored the lives of its personnel.”
According to the statement, the release of the seven detainees is conditional on Pakistan taking “practical and formal” steps within the one-week period. If no progress is made, the BLA said, the death sentences issued by the “Baloch National Court will be executed.”
Jeeyand Baloch said the BLA believes that “principles, rules and mutual responsibilities” apply even during wartime, adding that the decision now rests with the Pakistani state on whether it takes steps to secure the release of its personnel.
Pakistani military authorities had not issued a public response at the time of publication.