Baloch Liberation Army Claims Capture Of 7 Pakistan Army Soldiers; Gives 7-Day Deadline To Government

Quetta: The separatist militant group, Baloch Liberation Army, on Saturday (February 14) claimed to have captured seven Pakistan Army soldiers. Issuing a warning to the Pakistan government, the militant group gave a seven-day ultimatum for a prisoner exchange. The group threatened to execute the soldiers if its demands were not met.

The media wing of the BLA, Hakkal, released a video message on Monday, reminding the Pakistan government of the deadline. In the video message, it stated that only six days remain before the deadline expires.

The BLA said that if no progress is made regarding their demands, then “court sentences” by a self-styled “Baloch National Court” would be handed over to the captured soldiers, reported The Times of India.

As per the organisation, 17 officials were captured, but 10 individuals of Baloch ethnicity were released after giving warning.

Viral Video Of Captured Pakistan Army Soldiers:

So far, the Pakistan government has not yet responded to the BLA demands. The Free Press Journal could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

"The remaining detainees are members of regular units of the Pakistan Army. Proceedings were convened in a Baloch National Court, where the captives faced accusations ranging from involvement in actions against civilians to aiding enforced disappearances and taking part in the genocide of the Baloch people," the statement by the BLA said, as quoted by TOI.

"During the hearing, the men were allowed to respond to the allegations, evidence was presented, and statements were recorded before a guilty verdict was delivered," it added.

Operation Herof 2.0:

The development came days after the BLA carried out 'Operation Herof 2.0', capturing several areas across Balochistan province. As part of the operation, BLA fighters struck 12 cities, including Quetta.

Operation Herof Phase II continued across Balochistan for more than 35 hours, with fighters maintaining positions in multiple areas and repelling military and administrative presence, according to a statement issued by Jeeyand Baloch, spokesperson of the BLA, as reported by ANI.

The statement claimed that more than 150 personnel from the Pakistani army, Frontier Corps, and police had been "neutralised" during the ongoing phase of the operation. However, Pakistan claimed that its forces have killed over 140 militants so far and only 17 security personnel lost their lives.