The situation has again become tense in Pakistan’s Balochistan province after Operation Hero 2.0, which ran from January 31 to February 6. Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed that it has 7 soldiers of Pakistani Army in its custody. BLA has released the video and pictures of these soldiers and said that if Pakistan Army wants to release them, then it will have to release the Baloch fighters arrested between 31 January and 6 February. The organization has called this a condition of exchange of prisoners.

Baloch fighters have given the Pakistani Army an extension of the next 7 days and said that if the Pakistani Army is not ready for exchange within 7 days, then these 7 soldiers will be given death sentence. Baloch Liberation Army also informed that during Operation Hero 2.0, it had taken a total of 17 government employees hostage, out of which 10 people were released the next day because they were administrative officers and only 7 soldiers were brought along by Baloch fighters.

Two soldiers were identified

In the video of Baloch Army, two out of 7 soldiers have been identified, one soldier’s name is Jameel and the other is Shams Tabrez, who is a Naik rank soldier. In the video, Pakistani Army leader Shams Tamrez, who hails from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, shows his identity card and demands the Pakistan Army to follow the orders of BLA to release them so that these seven soldiers can go to their homes.

Pakistani soldiers were taken hostage earlier also

However, this is not the first time that BLA has taken Pakistani soldiers hostage and demanded the release of its comrades. First of all, in the year 2013, BLA had taken two Frontier Corps soldiers hostage in Awaran district and the Pakistani Army had demanded the release of some BLA fighters in return, but when the demand was not met, BLA killed these soldiers. Similarly, in 2015, BLA had taken 6 Pakistani soldiers hostage in Mashtung and Turbat and in return had demanded the army to release the missing people of Balochistan under its control and if the demand was not met, they were killed.

What steps will Pakistan take?

In the year 2025, BLA had taken three soldiers hostage in Turbat and demanded the release of their boys in return, after which for the first time the Government of Pakistan had talked to BLA through back channel and there was exchange. In such a situation, there are 7 soldiers of Pakistani Army in the possession of BLA and it has to be seen what steps Pakistan Army, which is famous for surrender, takes in the next 7 days.