Pakistani officials: Body of second kidnapped hostage found

The BLA, designated a terrorist group by the United States in 2019, earlier this week claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s kidnapping of an officer and his family while they were traveling on a remote highway near the town of Ziarat, 100 kilometers away. northeast of Quetta, the provincial capital.

The family was on their way to a resort in the area. The attackers later that night freed all the hostages except for Colonel Laeeq Mirza and his cousin. The body of the colonel was found during a search by security forces on Thursday.

Cousin Umar Javed’s body was found in a drain in the area on Saturday, according to two Pakistani intelligence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Balochistan Province Interior Minister Mir Zia Lango condemned Javed’s killing and expressed the authorities’ determination to “eliminate terrorism in the province”.

The military said in an earlier statement that efforts are underway to locate and rescue Javed. During the search operations, security forces killed nine insurgents, the statement added.

Jaend Baluch, an alleged spokesman for the BLA, denied any casualties among the separatists.