BLF claims highway blockades, checkpoint seizures across Balochistan districts

BLF spokesperson Major Gwahram Baloch said that on March 19, fighters blocked the Quetta-Taftan highway at Sheikh Wasil in Mastung, halting traffic until late at night while vehicles underwent what he termed "strict snap checking," as cited in the TBP report.

He further claimed that a Levies checkpoint at the location was captured, personnel were detained, and the post was set ablaze. He added that those taken into custody were later released after being warned to "avoid acting as instruments of the occupying forces." In another operation carried out on March 18, the group set up checkpoints at several locations, including between Barkhan and Rakhni and on Shahrah-e-Bodhi Eishani in Kohlu, where the blockade continued for around three hours, he said.

According to him, two vehicles from the convoy of Barkhan Police Superintendent Saad Afridi reached the checkpoint. They attempted to pass despite signals to stop, after which warning shots were fired at them. He cautioned police personnel against breaching such blockades in the future and added that one police official detained during the operation was later freed on what he described as "humanitarian grounds."

The spokesperson also stated that fighters blocked traffic on the RCD highway in the Sang Das area of Kalat on the same day, noting that vehicles were inspected and no military convoy or informant was allowed to pass. He added that during the blockade, fighters interacted with civilians and explained what he described as the "objectives of the armed struggle."

The statement further claimed that these operations highlighted the group's "presence across key highways and strategic routes," and that the continued blockades demonstrated its "capacity to control major roads" despite existing security measures, as highlighted in the TBP report. (ANI)