KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — In a significant counterterrorism operation, police in Karachi raided multiple militant hideouts, resulting in the arrest of three suspects and the seizure of approximately 2 tons of explosives. Officials stated that this operation successfully thwarted plans for imminent attacks in the southern port city.
The bomb-making materials and detonators were reportedly intended for use by members of the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group with a long-standing agenda for independence in Balochistan. Zulfiqar Ali Larik, a senior counterterrorism official, along with Ghulam Azfar Mahesar, a deputy inspector general of police, announced the details during a news conference on Monday.
According to Larik, law enforcement discovered one vehicle already loaded with explosives. He mentioned that these materials had been transported from Balochistan, a region plagued by a separatist insurgency for over two decades. Larik alleged that the BLA is being backed by India, although New Delhi has consistently denied such claims.
Pakistan frequently accuses neighboring Afghanistan and rival India of providing support to the BLA, as well as the Pakistani Taliban, both of which have notably increased their operational activities in recent years. One of the most devastating incidents attributed to the BLA occurred in March of last year, where insurgents killed 33 individuals, primarily soldiers, in an attack on a train carrying numerous passengers in Balochistan. Security forces responded by eliminating 50 attackers and successfully rescuing the remaining passengers.
The recent raids involved joint efforts from police and intelligence agencies. The process began with the initial arrest of one suspect, whose interrogation led to the subsequent apprehension of two additional individuals. Authorities are continuing the operation, conducting further raids to capture any remaining members of the suspected militant network who managed to escape.
Baloch separatists have been involved in an insurgency since the early 2000s, advocating for greater autonomy and, in some instances, independence from Pakistan. They demand a more equitable distribution of the province's vast natural resources. Recent trends suggest that the BLA has been increasingly utilizing female attackers to evade detection by security forces.
In a related incident last week, police detained a teenage girl who had allegedly been radicalized and recruited online by the BLA to execute a significant suicide attack. However, after evaluating the circumstances, authorities determined that she was a victim in this situation rather than a perpetrator, and no criminal charges were filed against her.
Additionally, in 2022, a female suicide bomber affiliated with the BLA carried out an attack that resulted in the deaths of three Chinese teachers near a university campus in Karachi. Over the years, the BLA has broadened its operational scope, frequently targeting both security forces and civilians. This includes assaults on Chinese nationals involved in significant infrastructure projects connected to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
This operation highlights the continuing challenges faced by Pakistani authorities as they confront growing militant threats, particularly from well-organized separatist groups like the BLA.
