KARACHI - The Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), in a joint intelligence-based operation with federal security agencies, has foiled a major terrorist plot in Karachi, arresting two alleged members of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) whom officials have identified as Indian-backed operatives .
According to a CTD Sindh spokesperson, the arrested suspects have been identified as Mujahid Baloch and Fareed Baloch, also known as Zakir Bin . Both men are accused of being active members of the BLA, which the government has designated as an Indian proxy group, also referred to as Fitna al Hindustan (FAH) .
During the operation, authorities recovered a substantial cache of bomb-making materials, including:
4 kilograms of explosive material
Detonators
Prima cord
A large quantity of ball bearings
CTD officials revealed that the suspects had been operating in Karachi under the direct instructions of absconding BLA commanders Sajid Baloch and Bashir Zeb . Investigations indicate that they had been gathering intelligence on sensitive installations in the city and were attempting to establish a network to carry out attacks against security forces and other key locations .
The arrests come just over a week after a major attack on Pakistan Rangers personnel in Karachi on June 27, in which three Rangers personnel were killed and four others were wounded when security forces repelled an assault on a Rangers camp in the city . The military's media wing, the ISPR, said that assault was carried out by Khawarij belonging to the Indian proxy Jamaat-ul-Ahrar .
Both suspects have been registered under the Explosives Substances Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act . CTD officials have stated that more investigation teams have been formed in coordination with other security agencies to expand the inquiry and conduct further raids based on information obtained from the suspects .
