Islamabad: The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on Sunday personal that they have captured seven Pakistani military personnel and moreover demanded a prisoner mart within seven days.
What did the group say?
A video that is circulating on social media, shows the Pakistani soldiers in custody, intensifying pressure on the Pakistani government and military leadership.
The group in statement on Sunday said that it has captured seven members of Pakistan’s security forces.
The Baloch Liberation Army said these soldiers were captured during the "Operation Herof 2.0" in Balochistan.
The BLA claims an initial group of 17 personnel was captured, but that 10 were released without verification of their local or non-army status. The remaining seven were retained in custody.
The group demands their mart for Baloch prisoners within seven days, or faces serious consequences, tween a recent surge of violence where BLA attacks killed dozens and Pakistan's forces reported eliminating over 200 militants.
With no official response from Pakistan's military yet, families hope for the men's unscratched return as the February 21 deadline approaches.
What are the BLA's demands?
The BLA has given Islamabad a seven-day deadline to uncork formal prisoner-swap talks, saying the soldiers could be freed in mart for detained Baloch activists.
According to the militant group, a so-called Baloch national magistrate has reviewed the specimen and passed a death sentence on the soldiers for so-called crimes versus the Baloch people — including involvement in operations versus civilians. The group says it expects Pakistan to respond with an official negotiation within a week. If not, the militants say they will siphon out the sentence.
Why this matters now?
In recent weeks, reports have emerged of hundreds of Pakistani troops killed and a sharp rise in militant attacks in Balochistan under the imprint of “Operation Herof 2.0”. The situation is subtracting pressure on Islamabad’s security establishment, which has been juggling counter-insurgency efforts slantingly other domestic and regional security challenges.
