On January 30/31, Baloch Liberation Army [BLA], an armed pro-independence group launched Operation Herof 2.0, with a series of well coordinated attacks across in least nine districts of Balochistan on a scale and intensity that was unprecedented.

During the next five days, BLA fighters attacked security forces and law enforcement agencies. They even took over temporary control of several cities and Nushki was one such city which BLA fighters held with such tenacity that despite use of heavy weaponry, armed drones and attack helicopters, it still took the Pakistan army three days to regain control over it.

BLA announced termination of this operation on February 5, and the Pakistan army’s media wing provided data of the inordinately high fatalities suffered by BLA as compared to the security forces’ unbelievably low casualty figures. The aim was to portray Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 1 [codename of the military’s response to Operation Herof 2.0 carried out by the military] as a spectacular victory to divert public attention from the Pakistan army’s humongous intelligence failure.

However, while the people were celebrating the success of Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 1, BLA dropped a bombshell by announcing that it had in its custody seven Pakistani soldiers captured during Operation Herof 2.0. This announcement put Rawalpindi in a bind as it had not publicly revealed that seven of its soldiers who had participated in Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 1 were missing /unaccounted for.

BLA made things worse for Rawalpindi by posting a video of the seven captured soldiers. It also spoke business by offering their release through a prisoner swap arrangement in exchange of BLA fighters in the army’s custody. Setting a seven day deadline, BLA threatened to execute the captives in case its demand wasn’t accepted.

Its statement read, “Baloch Liberation Army believes that even in war situations, principles, rules and mutual responsibilities exist. Now the decision rests with the occupying Pakistani state whether it takes serious steps to protect the lives of its personnel or prefers death of its........

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