QUETTA, Pakistan (BN24) — Security forces in southwestern Pakistan have arrested a university lecturer accused of planning a foiled suicide attack that was intended to target last week’s Independence Day celebrations in violence-hit Balochistan, officials said Monday.
Authorities identified the suspect as Usman Qazi, who is alleged to have links with the outlawed Majeed Brigade, the suicide unit of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Balochistan’s Chief Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, said the arrest marked the first time security forces had captured a senior member of the group through intelligence operations.
During a press conference in Quetta, Bugti played video footage in which Qazi appeared to admit involvement in planning the thwarted attack as well as aiding militants in recent years. However, it remained unclear whether the confession was made voluntarily or under duress. Bugti said the lecturer also admitted involvement in several past incidents, including a railway station bombing in Quetta last year that killed 32 people.
The chief minister did not disclose the exact timing of Qazi’s arrest but confirmed he remained under questioning. There has been no immediate response from the BLA regarding the detention.
The arrest came just a week after the U.S. State Department designated both the BLA and its Majeed Brigade suicide squad as foreign terrorist organizations, expanding international pressure on the insurgent group already banned inside Pakistan.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has long been plagued by violence tied to separatist groups seeking independence from Islamabad. Insurgents have repeatedly targeted Pakistani security forces, railway lines, and infrastructure linked to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as well as Chinese nationals working on those projects.
Despite government claims that the insurgency has been largely quelled, attacks in Balochistan continue, underscoring the persistent security challenges facing the province.
Source: thebalochistanpost
