Pakistani counterterrorism police say they have arrested two insurgents attempting to blow up the main gas pipeline in the central city of Bahawalpur.
Police spokeswoman Nabila Ghazanfar said Saturday the two men, who were not identified, belong to the separatist group Baluchistan Liberation Army. She said they confessed to successfully conducting similar sabotage of gas pipelines in the adjacent district of Rahim Yar Khan.
Ghazanfar said police seized 2 kilograms (4.5 pounds) of explosives, a timing device, detonators and connecting cords from the men Friday night.
There was no immediate statement from the BLA and the men were not immediately available for comment.
Rebels have long been waged a low-level insurgency in southwestern Baluchistan province. But it's a new phenomenon to stage an attack outside their provincial boundaries to hit vital installations to press their demands.
Baluch insurgents want greater autonomy.
Pakistani police arrest 2 men trying to blow up gas line
Pakistani police arrest 2 men trying to blow up gas line
- Police spokeswoman said the two men belong to the separatist group BLA
- Counter terrorism police also seized 2 kilograms of explosives
Pakistan urges UN Security Council to sanction separatist BLA group after recent attacks
- Separatist BLA launched attacks in multiple Balochistan cities last week, killing over 50 as per official figures
- Pakistan envoy says since Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan, BLA, other militant groups have a “new lease of life“
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Iftikhar Ahmed this week urged the Security Council to impose sanctions against the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militant group and designate it as a “terrorist” group, after its recent coordinated attacks in southwestern Balochistan province.
Pakistan’s military said on Thursday it has concluded security operations in Balochistan against separatists that was launched since Jan. 29, killing 216 militants. The military launched counteroffensive operations in Balochistan after the BLA said it launched coordinated attacks in several parts of the province last Friday and Saturday.
The attacks killed 36 civilians and 22 law enforcement and security forces personnel, Pakistan’s military said. Pakistan’s government has accused India of being involved in the attacks, charges that New Delhi has dismissed.
“We hope the Council will act swiftly to designate BLA under the 1267 sanctions regime acceding to the listing request that is currently under consideration,” Iftikhar said on Wednesday during a UNSC briefing on the topic ‘Threats to International Peace and Security caused by Terrorist Acts.’
The 1267 sanctions regime is a UNSC program that seeks to impose sanctions on individuals and entities associated with “terrorism.”
The regime seeks to impose travel bans, freeze assets and impose an arms embargo on individuals and groups primarily associated with Al-Qaeda or the Taliban.
Ahmad said that after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, “externally sponsored and foreign-funded proxy terrorist groups” such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the BLA have got a “new lease of life.”
“Operating with virtual impunity from Afghan soil and with the active support of our eastern neighbor, these groups are responsible for heinous terrorist attacks inside Pakistan,” he said.
The Pakistani envoy said it has become imperative to prevent billions of dollars of sophisticated weapons and equipment, which were left behind by foreign forces in Afghanistan, “from falling into the hands of terrorists.”
“There must be accountability of external destabilizing actors who support, finance and arm these groups, including their proxies in Afghanistan,” Ahmad said in a veiled reference to India.
Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, mineral-rich Balochistan borders Iran and Afghanistan and is home to China’s investment in the Gwadar deep-water port and other projects.
Balochistan has been the site of a decades-long insurgency led by ethnic Baloch separatists seeking greater autonomy and a larger share of its natural resources.
They accuse the state of denying locals a fair share of the province’s mineral wealth, charges that are denied by the Pakistani government.
