A major attack by the Fateh Squad of banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant outfit in the Mongochar area of Balochistan's Kalat district has caused widespread damage to government institutions and blocked the Quetta-Karachi highway.
BLA militants closed the highway, stopping traffic and conducting searches of different vehicles, including passenger buses, the security sources stated.
They went on to enter the Mongochar market and seized several government buildings, including NADRA offices, the Judicial Complex, and the National Bank of Pakistan. The militants burnt these buildings down, leaving them severely damaged.
"The fire resulted in heavy damage to the buildings. The militants left the area before security forces reached there," said the sources.
The BLA's Fateh Squad took responsibility for the attack, calling it part of their "struggle for liberation."
In retaliation, security forces launched an operation in the area and traffic on the National Highway (N-25) has now been restored.
Soon after that, there was another major strike in the same Mongochar area when BLA militants ambushed a police van carrying prisoners from Gadani jail to Quetta. Sources stated that the militants released at least 10 prisoners and kidnapped five policemen.
The police were utilizing a private van to carry the prisoners, and the militants released the driver as well as the vehicle. "The militants hijacked the van by blocking the main road," sources said.
The police officials confirmed the incident, and they said 10 prisoners were being shifted from Gadani jail to Quetta and the central Mach jail. "When the van arrived in Mangochar, Kalat district, the highway was blocked by the militants, who were checking vehicles, buses, and trucks. They intercepted the prison van, released the prisoners, and kidnapped five police officers, including their weapons. Two policemen, who were traveling in plainclothes, were not harmed," a police official clarified.
Political commentator Kamran Yousaf noted that militants' systematic behavior—occupying the highway, checking vehicles, and attacking government complexes—indicated they were searching particularly for the prisoner transport van to free their own. "Once they failed to find the van among the cars on the highway, they moved on to the government buildings in Mongochar, where they searched and burned them down," Yousaf added.
He also expressed concerns over the situation of security in Balochistan, pointing out the difficulties Pakistan's security forces were confronted with while dealing with such groups as the BLA, who seem to enjoy mass support. "These militants have good intelligence regarding the movements of prisoners and security personnel on buses and trains. They design and implement their selective attacks with accuracy," Yousaf further stated.
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