Balochistan CM forms special cell to dismantle terrorist networks in campuses

QUETTA: Chief Minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, on Monday announced the formation of a special cell to identify and dismantle terrorist networks operating within educational institutions.

Addressing a press conference alongside senior officials, including Additional Chief Secretary Home Hamza Shafqaat, Acting IG Police Saeed Wazir, and provincial spokesperson Shahid Rind, Bugti confirmed the arrest of Dr Muhammad Usman Qazi, a Grade-18 lecturer at Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), accused of being a key facilitator of the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

The chief minister revealed that security agencies had thwarted a major terrorist plot targeting Independence Day celebrations on August 14. “If a professor becomes a terrorist, you cannot garland him,” Bugti said, warning that those abetting terrorism—regardless of profession or status—would face strict action.

According to Bugti, Dr Qazi was involved in providing a pistol to a female facilitator for targeted killings, as well as assisting in a suicide attack at Quetta railway station. He said the growing involvement of educated individuals and women in terrorism was alarming. He announced the formation of a special cell within the Home Department to counter extremism in educational institutions.

The CM further disclosed that 2,000 public sector employees had been screened, with suspicious individuals placed on the Fourth Schedule. He urged parents to closely monitor their children and called on parliamentarians to play an active role in discouraging those misguiding youth under the guise of “Balochiyat.”

Bugti stressed that the insurgency was not linked to deprivation but driven by an anti-state agenda. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to peace but warned that violence and militancy would not be tolerated. To support positive engagement, he announced a Rs1 billion scholarship program for Balochistan students at Punjab University.

During the press conference, a video confession by Dr Qazi was played, in which he admitted to facilitating multiple terrorist activities. He acknowledged harboring BLA operatives in his home, providing medical treatment to a commander, supplying weapons to accomplices, and maintaining direct contact with BLA leadership, including Bashir Zeb, via Telegram.

Dr Qazi confessed to sheltering a militant named Noman alias “Peerak,” who was later arrested while plotting a suicide attack on an August 14 event. He admitted to knowingly aiding the BLA despite being a respected government employee, confirming his recruitment by Dr Haibatan alias “Kalk” after completing his Ph.D. from Peshawar University.

Bugti said the public disclosure of Dr Qazi’s arrest was intended to send a strong message that the state would expose and act against all those enabling terrorism.