Four militant commanders surrender in Balochistan

Published August 17, 2015
The surrender took place in the presence of Home Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfaraz Bugti.  -AFP/File
The surrender took place in the presence of Home Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfaraz Bugti. -AFP/File

QUETTA: Four commanders of a proscribed organisation laid down their weapons and surrendered to authorities in Quetta today.

The surrender took place in the presence of Home Minister Balochistan Mir Sarfaraz Bugti.

“Militants surrendering before the law would be compensated and respected,” said Bugti.

Read: 400 militants in Balochistan lay down weapons on Independence Day

“We were trained in Afghanistan’s Nimruz province to carry out subversive activities in Pakistan,” said Abdul Sattar, a militant commander who surrendered.

“We have also informed the federal government of training camps operating across the border, and their role in training militants,” added Bugti.

Bugti also said that the present government is determined to ensure peace in the province.

On Friday, around 400 militants laid down their weapons before authorities in Quetta during a ceremony to celebrate Pakistan's Independence Day.

The government also announced amnesty for the militants adopting peaceful lives and they will be integrated in Balochistan.

Pakistan's largest province — which borders Iran and Afghanistan — is riven by sectarian strife and Islamist violence.

Its roughly seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth.

Also read: Another 59 Baloch militants surrender

Baloch separatists demanding more autonomy and control over gas and mineral resources have frequently targeted security forces and police for years.

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