Former Balochistan minister Abdul Rehman Khetran has accused Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti of sheltering dozens of non-local men, whom he described as members of armed militias, at a school in his native Dera Bugti district.
Speaking in a telephone interview with Quetta-based journalist Dauran Baloch, Khetran claimed that between 50 and 60 unidentified men had been housed at a school in the Chacha area of Dera Bugti.
He described the men as long-haired and non-local, adding that residents were unable to identify them.
“Local people are also unable to recognise them. It is unclear where they have been brought from or what role they are expected to play,” Khetran said.
Khetran did not identify the men or specify which group they allegedly belonged to, and provided no evidence to support the claim.
The allegations come amid longstanding claims by Baloch political parties and rights activists that armed groups backed by state institutions, commonly referred to as “death squads”, operate in parts of Balochistan and are involved in enforced disappearances, targeted killings and abductions for ransom.
In recent months, activists and residents have also alleged that former members of Afghanistan’s military have been brought into parts of Balochistan and deployed alongside Pakistani forces.
Similar claims have emerged from Zehri and Mastung, including allegations that former Afghan personnel took part in military operations and were housed at a school converted into a camp.
Sarfraz Bugti has previously faced similar allegations from political opponents. In 2023, Balochistan National Party leader Akhtar Mengal accused him of running a “state-backed death squad” in Dera Bugti.
Khetran was removed as Balochistan’s public health engineering minister on July 7 on the advice of the chief minister, amid reports that differences had emerged between the two.
Neither Bugti nor the Balochistan government had responded to Khetran’s latest allegations at the time of publication.