Three Terrorists Involved in Killing of Kharan SHO Arrested; 707 Terrorists Killed or Nabbed This Year, Says DIG CTD

**Quetta (Daily Qudrat):**
Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqat and DIG Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Aitzaz Goraya revealed on Tuesday that three key terrorists involved in the murder of SHO City Kharan, Qasim Baloch, have been arrested during a joint operation.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta, the officials said the arrested militants — identified as Zain Mirza, Aamir Shah and Rehmatullah — belong to the proscribed organization Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF). According to investigators, the terrorists had planned to abduct the SHO and force him into making anti-state propaganda videos, similar to previous incidents. However, due to strong resistance by the SHO, the attackers opened fire and martyred him.

DIG CTD Aitzaz Goraya stated that the suspects had received terrorist training in Afghanistan. Police have recovered official submachine guns (SMGs) belonging to the police and the vehicle used in the crime from their possession.

Providing details of the province’s counterterrorism performance, Additional Chief Secretary Home Hamza Shafqat said that so far in 2025, around 78,000 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) have been conducted across Balochistan with the participation of police, CTD, Frontier Corps (FC) and intelligence agencies. As a result of these operations, 707 terrorists have been killed or arrested.

He added that during the ongoing war against terrorism, 202 security personnel embraced martyrdom, while approximately 280 civilians lost their lives in terrorist incidents.

Hamza Shafqat further announced that the provincial government has allocated Rs 2 billion for the fortification and security of police stations and is also procuring anti-drone technology to counter emerging threats. He said that 67 percent of the CTD’s capacity-building and training program has already been completed.

Terming it a major diplomatic success, the additional chief secretary noted that the US State Department has officially designated the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majid Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) on August 11. He also revealed that, on the directions of the Chief Minister Balochistan, a “Red Notice Cell” has been established to pursue terrorists operating from abroad through Interpol.

The officials reaffirmed the government’s resolve to establish the writ of the state at all costs and vowed that terrorists would be brought to justice.