New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) A full-blown confrontation is on the cards in Balochistan. With the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) stepping up attacks in the region, Pakistani establishment finds itself on the backfoot. The establishment has now planned to set up several death squads in the region to beat the BLA.

The establishment has roped in the Islamic State and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) to set up these death squads. An Intelligence Bureau official said that the death squads are meant to operate covertly and specifically target the operatives of the BLA.

This signals a shift in strategy by the Pakistani security forces. They are unable to take on the BLA on the ground and hence wants to take the back door and engage them with these death squads, the official said. An official said that Pakistan has completely lost grip over Balochistan.

The fighters, people and the establishment are completely against Islamabad. This has made it hard for the establishment to operate in the region. Even the security forces of Pakistan have been reporting huge losses and this has resulted in large scale desertions.

Another official said that Pakistan’s plan of deploying death squads became clear when Major General Faisal Naseer was appointed as the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NCTA) chief. Nasser association with rogue elements within Balochistan is well known. He is well associated with groups within Balochistan, who run armed militias and death squads.

The LeJ and Islamic State already have their death squads in the region and Naseer has been put in charge to lend support to these groups so that they can scale up operations, the official also added. Officials say that the plan is not just to target the BLA.

The death squads are being assigned to carry out killings of activists and politicians in Balochistan. Groups such as the LeJ have been responsible for the killing of 100s of activities in Balochistan since 2014. Nasser has been roped in to empower such groups so that these groups can scale up their operations and beat the BLA, which is currently the biggest threat for the establishment.

Naseer who was part of the ISI is a blue-eyed boy of the establishment. His transfer to the NCTA has been viewed by security analysts as a deliberate as well as a desperate move so that the Pakistan establishment could save face in Balochistan.

With his appointment and him already meeting members of the Islamic State and LeJ, it is evident that a full blow confrontation could be expected in Balochistan. The situation in the days to come is only going to get bloodier in Balochistan, an official said.

--IANS

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