Pakistani security forces reportedly raided the home of a member of the Majeed Brigade in Quetta following Sunday’s attack on a military shuttle train, with family sources alleging that two of his brothers, two cousins and his mother were taken into custody and moved to undisclosed locations.
According to local sources, the raid was carried out at the residence of Bilal, identified by the Baloch Liberation Army(BLA) as the “fidayee” (suicide attacker) involved in the attack targeting a shuttle train transporting Pakistani military personnel from Quetta Cantonment to Quetta Railway Station.
Family sources said the detained relatives include Bilal’s two brothers, Babul and Umar, and two cousins, Rashid and Saeed.
They said security personnel searched the house, questioned family members and later took the four men away. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
Family sources alleged that after the four were taken, forces detained Bilal’s mother, who has also since gone missing.
Earlier this year, in February, Bilal’s father had held a press conference at the Quetta Press Club publicly distancing himself from his son.
According to reports, attack in Quetta targeted a shuttle train carrying military personnel travelling from the cantonment area to the railway station before onward departures towards other parts of Pakistan. The BLA claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Pakistani authorities have not issued an official statement regarding the reported detentions of Bilal’s relatives.