Web Desk: Balochistan government on Sunday said security forces arrested an Afghan national involved in terrorist attacks in southwestern Balochistan, as officials reiterated claims of cross-border links to armed groups operating against Pakistan.
Officials shared the details during a joint press conference held by the provincial interior minister, the additional chief secretary for home, and a senior counterterrorism police officer.
Authorities said the suspect, identified as Habibullah, was detained in a major operation in the Kuchlak area. They described the arrest as a significant development in ongoing counterterrorism efforts across the province.
According to officials, the suspect admitted to carrying out attacks on security personnel while working in coordination with a group they referred to as TTA. They added that he was also involved in targeting troops during past Pakistan-Afghanistan border clashes.
Investigators said the detainee had previously been held for about a month but was released after being treated as a civilian in what they described as a goodwill gesture.
Officials further revealed that the suspect’s brother, identified as Sher Afghan, is affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and resides in Afghanistan’s Paktika province. They added that the group linked to the suspect was led by an individual identified as “Muslim.”
The additional chief secretary for home said that terrorist groups identified as TTA and TTP were working together to carry out attacks in Balochistan. He added that intelligence-based operations across the province had led to thousands of actions against suspected terrorists.
He also said authorities had deported around 960,000 undocumented Afghan nationals from Balochistan as part of broader security and immigration enforcement measures.
Meanwhile, officials said the arrest exposed cross-border coordination and that efforts were underway to apprehend other members of the network.
The provincial interior minister said Pakistan had repeatedly provided evidence to Afghan authorities that militant groups were using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan.
He added that Islamabad had urged the Afghan Taliban administration on multiple occasions to prevent such use of its soil.
“Pakistan is a responsible state and will continue to defend its citizens,” the minister said, adding that the country would respond firmly to threats against its security.
However, he emphasized that Pakistan had no hostility toward the people of Afghanistan.
Officials also said the government had implemented a “one-document regime” across Balochistan to regulate movement and improve monitoring.
In addition, authorities confirmed that a decision remained in place requiring undocumented Afghan migrants to return to their country.
The counterterrorism department said the crackdown would continue, adding that the net around other suspected militants linked to the network had been tightened.
The press conference, officials said, aimed to present what they described as evidence of Afghanistan-linked militancy affecting Pakistan’s internal security.
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