An All Parties Conference (APC) organised by the Awami National Party (ANP) in Quetta, attended by 11 political parties, has expressed serious concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan and the alleged presence of former Afghan security personnel in the region. The conference announced a Balochistan-wide shutter-down strike and protests outside press clubs on 19 November, while a follow-up APC was scheduled for 26 November to discuss further action.
Speaking to journalists after the conference, ANP Balochistan President Asghar Khan Achakzai said the government’s writ had effectively collapsed in Balochistan, leaving residents without adequate protection or access to authorities capable of addressing their problems. He said even officials and institutions responsible for maintaining public security were themselves facing insecurity.
Achakzai described Balochistan as having fallen under the influence of armed groups, claiming that the situation had reached the capital city, Quetta, where even the Red Zone appeared to be beyond the government’s control. He also criticised attempts to silence those raising questions about governance, public concerns and the deteriorating security situation.
Separately, the president of the Qila Abdullah Bar Association, Advocate Hamidullah Kakar, expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the district during a press conference at the Quetta Press Club, accompanied by fellow lawyers.
Kakar said the settlement of armed individuals brought from outside Balochistan in different areas was particularly concerning. He referred to a recent attack on a village in which several people were killed, saying the victims’ families had been staging a protest on a road with the bodies of their relatives for six days, without any meaningful progress towards addressing their demands.
He alleged that some former Afghan security personnel operating in Qila Abdullah were involved in checking the identity cards of local residents before abducting them, demanding extortion payments and committing killings. He said these activities had created widespread fear and insecurity among the local population.
The Bar Association president urged the government to take immediate measures to restore law and order, halt the settlement of people brought from outside Balochistan and send them back. He also called for indiscriminate action against the cultivation and sale of drugs in the district.
Kakar said the demands were consistent with the Constitution and the law, warning that the ongoing protest sit-in would be expanded if the authorities failed to address them.
Concerns over the alleged activities and presence of former Afghan security personnel have also been raised by residents, lawmakers and Baloch nationalists in other parts of Balochistan.
Related: Former Afghan Soldiers Recruited to Fight Baloch Insurgency, Investigation Finds
There have also been reports of attempts to pressure political parties in Pashtun-majority areas to secure political support for these personnel. However, no political party has publicly confirmed supporting such efforts.
According to local sources, alleged camps housing former Afghan security personnel remain in the Hazarganji, Kuchlak and Saranan areas of Quetta. Reports have also emerged of former Afghan personnel being seen alongside Pakistani forces during military operations in Zehri, Zidi in Khuzdar, Sultan Shaher and Barshonki in the Kharan district.
Earlier this year, reports also emerged of former Afghan security personnel being killed during an attack by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on a hideout belonging to Shafiq Mengal, head of an armed group described as government-backed, in Khuzdar.
Political and social circles have called for transparent investigations into the reported presence and activities of state-backed militias, as well as effective measures to address the deteriorating security situation and protect civilians.