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Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Pakistani university lecturer arrested for planning foiled Balochistan attack — officials
QUETTA, Pakistan: Security forces in southwestern Pakistan arrested a university lecturer accused of planning a foiled suicide attack that would have targeted last week's Independence Day celebrations in insurgency-hit Balochistan province, officials said Monday. The suspect, Usman Qazi is claimed to have links with the outlawed Majeed Brigade, the suicide squad of the Balochistan Liberation Army, according to the province's Chief Minister, Sarfraz Bugti. During a press conference in the city of Quetta, Bugti showed video footage with Qazi admitting to planning the thwarted attack as well as aiding militants in recent years. It was unclear whether Qazi made those remarks under duress. Bugti did not clarify when the arrest was made, and only said the man was still being questioned. The arrest comes a week after the US State Department designated BLA and the Majeed Brigade a foreign terrorist organization. The group is already banned at home. Bugti said it was the first time security forces acting on intelligence had captured a senior member of the Majeed Brigade. He said Qazi confessed to involvement in past attacks, including last year's railway station bombing in Quetta that killed 32 people. There was no immediate comment from the BLA about the arrest. Balochistan has long seen violence blamed on separatist groups, including the BLA. The province is rich in natural resources and home to projects tied to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, where Chinese nationals and Pakistani security forces have also been targeted by insurgents. The separatists demand independence from Pakistan's central government in Islamabad. Though the government said it had quelled the insurgency, violence persists there.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Pakistani university lecturer arrested for planning foiled Balochistan attack, officials say
QUETTA, Pakistan — Security forces in southwestern Pakistan arrested a university lecturer accused of planning a foiled suicide attack that would have targeted last week's Independence Day celebrations in insurgency-hit Balochistan province , officials said Monday. The suspect, Usman Qazi is claimed to have links with the outlawed Majeed Brigade, the suicide squad of the Balochistan Liberation Army, according to the province's Chief Minister, Sarfraz Bugti. During a press conference in the city of Quetta, Bugti showed video footage with Qazi admitting to planning the thwarted attack as well as aiding militants in recent years. It was unclear whether Qazi made those remarks under duress. Bugti did not clarify when the arrest was made, and only said the man was still being questioned. The arrest comes a week after the U.S. State Department designated BLA and the Majeed Brigade a foreign terrorist organization. The group is already banned at home. Bugti said it was the first time security forces acting on intelligence had captured a senior member of the Majeed Brigade. He said Qazi confessed to involvement in past attacks, including last year's railway station bombing in Quetta that killed 32 people. There was no immediate comment from the BLA about the arrest. Balochistan has long seen violence blamed on separatist groups , including the BLA. The province is rich in natural resources and home to projects tied to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, where Chinese nationals and Pakistani security forces have also been targeted by insurgents. The separatists demand independence from Pakistan's central government in Islamabad. Though the government said it had quelled the insurgency, violence persists there.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Pakistani university lecturer arrested for planning foiled Balochistan attack, officials say
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Security forces in southwestern Pakistan arrested a university lecturer accused of planning a foiled suicide attack that would have targeted last week's Independence Day celebrations in insurgency-hit Balochistan province, officials said Monday. The suspect, Usman Qazi is claimed to have links with the outlawed Majeed Brigade, the suicide squad of the Balochistan Liberation Army, according to the province's Chief Minister, Sarfraz Bugti.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Pakistani university lecturer arrested for planning foiled Balochistan attack, officials say
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Security forces in southwestern Pakistan arrested a university lecturer accused of planning a foiled suicide attack that would have targeted last week's Independence Day celebrations in insurgency-hit Balochistan province, officials said Monday. The suspect, Usman Qazi is claimed to have links with the outlawed Majeed Brigade, the suicide squad of the Balochistan Liberation Army, according to the province's Chief Minister, Sarfraz Bugti. During a press conference in the city of Quetta, Bugti showed video footage with Qazi admitting to planning the thwarted attack as well as aiding militants in recent years. It was unclear whether Qazi made those remarks under duress. Bugti did not clarify when the arrest was made, and only said the man was still being questioned. The arrest comes a week after the U.S. State Department designated BLA and the Majeed Brigade a foreign terrorist organization. The group is already banned at home. Bugti said it was the first time security forces acting on intelligence had captured a senior member of the Majeed Brigade. He said Qazi confessed to involvement in past attacks, including last year's railway station bombing in Quetta that killed 32 people. There was no immediate comment from the BLA about the arrest. Balochistan has long seen violence blamed on separatist groups, including the BLA. The province is rich in natural resources and home to projects tied to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, where Chinese nationals and Pakistani security forces have also been targeted by insurgents. The separatists demand independence from Pakistan's central government in Islamabad. Though the government said it had quelled the insurgency, violence persists there.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Pakistan: 785 enforced disappearances, 121 killings documented in first half of 2025, says Paank
Baloch National Movement's human rights department, Paank, made a chilling revelation of the dangers being faced by Baloch activists in Pakistan. It said on Thursday that in the first 6 months of 2025 alone, Paank documented 785 enforced disappearances and 121 killings. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sharing the details in a post on X, Paank highlighted that Baloch activists face grave danger in Pakistan -- abductions, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are widespread. It expressed concern over the detention and the possible deportation of a young Baloch activist, Shabar Jamaldini, in a post on X and urged all rights defenders to urgently intervene to prevent this deportation. In another post, it condemned the enforced disappearance of an academic and his young scholar brother, demanding their immediate and unconditional release. It wrote on X, "Paank strongly condemns the enforced disappearance of Dr. Usman Qazi, a PhD holder and Assistant Professor at BUITEMS, and his younger brother, Jibran Ahmed, an MPhil Economics student. Both are residents of Nasirabad, district Kech. Around 3:00 a.m. on August 12, 2025, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) forcibly disappeared the two brothers from their residence in Afnan Town, Quetta. The abduction of an academic and his young scholar brother is deeply alarming and utterly unacceptable. PaanK calls for their immediate and unconditional release, holding the authorities accountable for this grave violation." Enforced disappearances in Balochistan have been a grave human rights issue for decades, rooted in the region's long-standing political and ethnic tensions. For the last several decades, Baloch nationalists, students, activists, and intellectuals have been targeted, allegedly by state security agencies, for demanding greater autonomy or rights. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Thousands have reportedly gone missing without due process, and many remain unaccounted for. Families are often left without information, legal recourse, or justice. Human rights organisations, both local and international, have condemned these actions, calling them violations of international law. (ANI)
