Islamabad — Chief Minister Balochistan, Sarfraz Bugti has said that security forces arrested an advocate accused of facilitating militant groups operating in Balochistan, describing it as part of a wider trend where individuals from professional or educated backgrounds were being used to mask terrorist activity. He vowed that the state would continue to counter what he called “terrorism in disguise.”

Arrests and Intelligence-Based Operation

Speaking at a press conference in Quetta, Bugti said the case highlighted how militants increasingly try to exploit social and professional identities to avoid suspicion. “A professor was arrested before August 14. The plan was to disrupt the August 14 celebrations in Balochistan,” he told reporters. “Now, when terrorism occurs, people get worried because of the professional backgrounds of those involved. It is not acceptable to view terrorism in the context of someone’s profession.”

Bugti provided details of the intelligence-based operation (IBO) that led to the arrest. He recalled that two Pakistan Air Force personnel from Talagang and Rawalpindi had been targeted while shopping in Dalbandin on 8 May 2025. “They had been working on a radar project and were martyred,” he said.

According to Bugti, suspects arrested after the attack mentioned an advocate during interrogation. Security agencies then began monitoring him through both technical surveillance and human intelligence for two to three months. “Those already arrested also pointed to him,” Bugti added.

He said that on Tuesday morning, security forces surrounded the suspect’s house. “Announcements were made offering surrender options. In response, firing started and one FC soldier was injured. Our forces retaliated. Two terrorists, Zubair and Nisar, were killed and Jehanzaib surrendered. This firefight continued for about one and a half hours,” he explained.

Bugti said the militants were affiliated with the Baloch Raji Ajoi Sangar (BRAS) umbrella and sometimes operated under the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Zubair Ahmed, code-named “Shah G,” was accused of monitoring Chinese project movements in Balochistan’s mineral sector and of planning an attack on the Frontier Corps headquarters.

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Foreign Links Alleged

The interior minister reiterated Islamabad’s longstanding claim that terrorist groups operating in Balochistan receive external support. “It is now clear that all groups and organisations are being gathered in Balochistan. From the very beginning, since 2010–2011, this has been a RAW-based, RAW-funded war,” Bugti said, referring to India’s Research and Analysis Wing.

He added that militants had planned a second phase of attacks in August 2025, codenamed Herof II, after Herof I in 2024. “This year, on August 26, they planned Herof II but failed,” he said.

Bugti defended temporary shutdowns of 4G services in Balochistan, saying they were a necessary counterterrorism tool. “There was much criticism of the 4G service disruption, but the reality is that terrorists have started using measures that sometimes exceed our neutralising capacity. The disruption of 4G helped us catch Qazi Mansoor and his network, which had planned 14 suicide attacks in Quetta during Independence Day,” he explained.

Bugti also alleged that Afghanistan remained a safe haven for militants. “Many Khawarij turned out to be Afghan nationals. I have always reminded the Afghan government of the Doha pledges they made to the world, and urged them to fulfil those promises,” he said.

Narrative and Development

The minister pushed back against claims that militancy in Balochistan is a result of deprivation or uneven development. “We must do a course correction. The fight is not based on deprivation or underdevelopment. If it were, why would they kill labourers?” he asked.

Bugti said they themselves openly admitted their aim was to “break the country through violence on the basis of Baloch identity.” Framing such acts as grievances, he argued, only served to rationalise violence.

He also addressed political dynamics, emphasising that dialogue continues with parties such as the BNP-Mengal and Dr Malik’s National Party. “We do have political dialogue. When the opposition objected, did we not step back? Was there agitation or pressure? No. It was a political dialogue to build consensus,” he said.

Bugti drew a line between political discontent and militancy. “There is a difference between disaffected youth who are unarmed and those who pick up weapons to break Pakistan through violence. Disenchanted youth, due to bad governance, corruption, or uneven development must be engaged, but they are not the same as armed militants,” he said.

He stressed that terrorism cannot be rebranded under any slogan. “Violence in the name of religion is called terrorism. Violence in the name of Baloch grievances, human rights, or other slogans must also be called what it is: terrorism, not “Naraz Baloch, and labeled under human rights” Bugti insisted.

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On Protests and Rights Narratives

Bugti also addressed protests led by Dr Mahrang Baloch. “When she blocks roads, isn’t there a High Court order that roads must remain open? The Constitution gives the right to assembly, but it does not give the right to block ambulances or shut down public roads,” he said.

He criticised what he described as the glorification of slain militants and manipulation of missing persons’ lists. “At BLA events they sing their anthem. Which country allows independence movements on their roads?”

He added: “In Turbat, even a father admitted in an interview that his son had disappeared for six months on his own. Self-disappearance and enforced disappearance are two very different things. Yet these groups deliberately exploit the narrative. They pick up terrorist bodies and glorify them. And when they snatch bodies from hospitals, should police and law enforcement simply stand by? We act strictly according to law.”