Pakistan: BLA fighters claim 'complete control' over Surab city in Balochistan

Quetta, May 31 (IANS) The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) freedom fighters on Saturday claimed that they have taken complete control of Surab city in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, paralysing all military, administrative, and financial structures of the "enemy state" just as the Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir was visiting the provincial capital Quetta.

Confirming the development, the spokesperson of BLA Jeeyand Baloch highlighted that the operation continued for more than three hours on Friday, during which "freedom fighters" took up positions at all the important locations and highways in the city.

He stated that the fighters took control of the Pakistani Levies (paramilitary force) station, police station, Deputy Commissioner (DC) office, guest house, and bank, and damaged "enemy" infrastructure.

"During the operation, Freedom fighters arrested Levies and police personnel and seized 30 Kalashnikovs, along with other weapons and war equipment from the security posts at the police stations and DC office. These personnel were later released on conditional concessions based on their Baloch identity. Freedom fighters set fire to three vehicles of the enemy forces, state warehouses, a guest house and three banks, while two vehicles were taken into custody," read the statement issued by the BLA.

According to the statement, during the takeover of the DC office, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Hidayatullah Buledi attempted an attack the fighters, upon which fighters subdued him without causing any casualties and locked him in a room, adding that he died due to suffocation in the room, which was a completely accidental incident.

"Furthermore, BLA has taken complete control of Surab city and set up checkpoints on the Quetta-Karachi and Surab-Gidar main highways, further tightening restrictions on state movement through snap checking. This operation is a continuation of BLA's resolve to destroy every institution, every symbol, and every force of the occupying Pakistani state. We once again make it clear that our struggle will continue until Baloch national liberation is achieved," the statement concluded.

People from Balochistan are currently fighting for their independence from Pakistan. Various human rights organisations of Balochistan have time and again highlighted the repression by Pakistani forces in the province, which includes violent raids on the homes of Baloch leaders and civilians, unlawful arrests, enforced disappearances, the 'kill and dump' policy, detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, and the filing of fabricated police cases.

Earlier this month, the BLA released a media statement titled 'A New Order has Become Inevitable in the Region', urging the world to recognise Pakistan as the creator of terrorists and a terrorist entity. It said that the history of Pakistan, currently facing diplomatic isolation for failed military policies, has been written with the patronage of broken promises, back-stabbing and terrorism.

"Pakistan is a breeding ground for global terrorists, is a centre for state-sponsored development of deadly terror groups like LeT, JeM and ISIS. Pakistan's ISI promotes these terror groups for terrorism purposes, a nuclear state with violent ideology. The Baloch nation without any external, military and financial support is able to defeat the world's seventh largest nuclear state. BLA has rendered the enemy helpless on every front. There can never be a lasting peace without the elimination of Pakistan," read the statement.

--IANS

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