Balochistan govt says it foiled 14 August Quetta blasts plot, two arrested

QUETTA: The Balochistan government has claimed that security agencies foiled a plan, under the name Herof-3, to carry out blasts in Quetta on 14 August and arrested two people. According to officials, a large quantity of weapons, ammunition and hand grenades was recovered from them.

This was stated at a news conference in Quetta by Shahid Rind, Adviser to the Chief Minister of Balochistan on Media and Political Affairs, Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat and DIG Quetta Imran Shaukat.

Arrests and recoveries

Shahid Rind said the threat of terrorism in Balochistan was high in August, but such plans were foiled through the efforts of law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, the Frontier Corps and the Counter Terrorism Department. He said two men, Niaz Jatoi and Habibur Rehman, were arrested during this period. They were preparing attacks in August under the name Herof-3, he said.

It may be recalled that the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) carried out Operation Herof in Balochistan on the night of 25 and 26 August 2024. On 31 January 2026, it carried out coordinated attacks, named Herof-2, in more than ten cities of Balochistan, including Quetta. Dozens of civilians and security personnel died in these attacks.

Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat said the arrested suspects planned to carry out blasts across Quetta on 14 August (Independence Day). He said Quetta was saved from a major tragedy by the timely action of the security agencies.

According to him, the weapons recovered include MMGs, ammunition and hand grenades, which were being brought to Quetta from Chagai. He said some transporters were also involved in moving the weapons. They have been identified, and the buses used to bring the weapons have also been seized.

Video statements of the suspects

Video statements of both arrested men were also shown on the occasion. Niazullah Jatoi said he belonged to Kechi Beg in Quetta’s Sariab area. In the video, he said a man named Sikandar had phoned him and asked him to keep some goods at his house. Another person later contacted him and said he would collect the goods.

The other arrested man, Habibur Rehman, said he belonged to Kurd Gap in Mastung. He said a man named Hafiz Ibrahim phoned him and asked him to deliver two cartons of shopping goods to Quetta. He said he then contacted Samiullah and had the goods moved to Quetta. He then informed Niaz Jatoi that the goods had arrived.

According to a report by state-run PTV, Habibur Rehman, alias Munshi, who was arrested on the charge of facilitating the movement of the weapons, confessed that he was paid Rs35,000 to bring the weapons from Dalbandin to Quetta.

Shahid Rind said operations against terrorism were continuing in the province. He said that in these intelligence-based operations, six people linked to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and two female suicide bombers had also been arrested. He did not give the women’s identities, the place of arrest or details of their alleged plans.

According to Shahid Rind, two commanders of a banned organisation were also arrested in combing operations at Shaban near Quetta and Khad Kocha in Mastung. He said it was not only that terrorists were being killed or arrested, but that some had also surrendered to the government voluntarily.

Shahab Rasheed’s statement and offer of return

A video of Shahab Rasheed, from Panjgur, was also shown at the news conference. In it, he said he was influenced by a Facebook account in 2021. He then began associating with people linked to the BLA and delivered rations to the group at some places. He said he later regretted his actions and decided to continue his education. He said he surrendered to the authorities in Panjgur.

According to Shahid Rind, Shahab surrendered to the government voluntarily through his family. In 2021, he went to a neighbouring country, where he received training at a camp of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army. He said Shahab had been misled online and that the government was considering giving him a chance to lead a peaceful life.

Shahid Rind said, “I think Shahab wants to give his life another chance. Other young people should also think that they are part of a war that will lead nowhere.” He appealed to young people who have gone to the mountains to contact the authorities through their families, political leaders, elected representatives or the district administration.

The Chief Minister’s media adviser said Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and the government had a very clear position: the doors were open to any young man who had gone astray to the mountains if he wished to return, accepting the state of Pakistan and the Constitution. He said the state had never closed its doors to them.

He said about 90 people were currently in detention centres. He said legislation had been passed to set up faceless courts (a secret judicial system) in Balochistan to try them, and hearings against them were under way. The government’s aim, he said, was to see them punished in accordance with the law as soon as possible.

New laws and institutions

The Additional Chief Secretary Home said work was also being done on the rehabilitation of those in detention centres. He gave the example of Khadija Baloch, who was sent to her family some time ago after rehabilitation.

According to Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat, the provincial government has passed about 16 new laws on security and administrative matters in the past two years. He said about 17 new institutions and departments have also been set up. These include a special cell for the prevention of extortion, the Balochistan Integrated Security Architecture (BISA), the Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Cell (PIFTAC), a Centre of Excellence and detention centres. He said this showed that the cabinet, the assembly, the police, the security agencies and the entire civil administration were working on one page.

The Additional Chief Secretary Home further said that, alongside operations against terrorism, the government was also working to curb illegal activities. According to him, about 1.1 million illegal foreigners have been expelled from the country, while about 50,000 actions have been taken against various illegal activities. These include measures against electricity theft, drugs, illegal border crossing and the use of non-custom-paid vehicles.

CTD operations

According to DIG Quetta Imran Shaukat, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) carried out more than 3,300 intelligence-based operations this year. More than 300 suspects were arrested, while hundreds were also killed. He said two police personnel were martyred in an incident the previous day, taking the number of Balochistan Police personnel martyred this year past 100.

Imran Shaukat said Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti regularly receives briefings on the security situation. According to him, work has also been done on providing funds, protective arrangements and technical equipment to meet the needs of the CTD. He said federal and other security agencies were also cooperating with the provincial police in operations against terrorism.

Shahid Rind said the situations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are sometimes compared. He said the Balochistan government, together with the federation, had taken several steps to eliminate terrorism, including a provincial-level action plan to deal with it.

He said the provincial government would continue operations against terrorism and would not stop its efforts until the last terrorist was eliminated. According to him, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti’s position is clear: he will not hesitate to sacrifice his politics to continue the war against terrorism.