Missing in Action

On January 30/31, Baloch Liberation Army [BLA], an armed pro-independence group launched Operation Herof 2.0, with a series of well coordinated attacks across in least nine districts of Balochistan on a scale and intensity that was unprecedented.
During the next five days, BLA fighters attacked security forces and law enforcement agencies. They even took over temporary control of several cities and Nushki was one such city which BLA fighters held with such tenacity that despite use of heavy weaponry, armed drones and attack helicopters, it still took the Pakistan army three days to regain control over it.
BLA announced termination of this operation on February 5, and the Pakistan army’s media wing provided data of the inordinately high fatalities suffered by BLA as compared to the security forces’ unbelievably low casualty figures. The aim was to portray Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 1 [codename of the military’s response to Operation Herof 2.0 carried out by the military] as a spectacular victory to divert public attention from the Pakistan army’s humongous intelligence failure.
However, while the people were celebrating the success of Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 1, BLA dropped a bombshell by announcing that it had in its custody seven Pakistani soldiers captured during Operation Herof 2.0. This announcement put Rawalpindi in a bind as it had not publicly revealed that seven of its soldiers who had participated in Operation Radd-ul-Fitna 1 were missing /unaccounted for.

Forsaking Soldiers

BLA made things worse for Rawalpindi by posting a video of the seven captured soldiers. It also spoke business by offering their release through a prisoner swap arrangement in exchange of BLA fighters in the army’s custody. Setting a seven day deadline, BLA threatened to execute the captives in case its demand wasn’t accepted.
Its statement read, “Baloch Liberation Army believes that even in war situations, principles, rules and mutual responsibilities exist. Now the decision rests with the occupying Pakistani state whether it takes serious steps to protect the lives of its personnel or prefers death of its rented [sic] personnel by adopting silence and indifference as usual.”
When Rawalpindi gave no response and didn’t even accept that the seven captive soldiers in the Baloch armed group’s custody were serving soldiers of the Pakistan army, BLA posted more videos in which the captive soldiers displayed their identity cards issued by the Pakistan army/ government and provided their personal details including native places and names of their fathers.
However, it seems that the top brass of the Pakistan army decided that rather than invite criticism to conceal the fact that more than half a dozen of its soldiers had been captured by BLA, it would be more expedient to outrightly deny that these captives were Pakistani soldiers. As the Pakistan army had done this during the 1999 Kargil War and got away with it, the precedent already existed. So, the unlucky seven were disowned by stoic silence -a shameful act that ultimately proved to be their death warrant.

Duplicity

It could be contended that the Pakistan army may have refused to negotiate with BLA on principles as it was a proscribed armed group. But Rawalpindi’s track record doesn't support this supposition as it has an inglorious record of making nearly a dozen peace accords with terrorist groups and even offering monetary incentives and according them permission to retain their weapons, just to sweeten these deals.
In August 2024, Lt Col Khalid Ameer, a serving Pakistan army officer and three of his relatives were abducted by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP]. This incident came to light only after TTP released a video in which the abductees made two requests. One, that demands put forth by TTP should be met and two, there should be no attempt to defame TTP or raise a hue and cry on social media regarding the kidnapping.
Shortly thereafter, the kidnapped trio was released, and the Pakistan army’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations [ISPR] in its statement said, “Safe and unconditional release of Lt Col Khalid Ameer and three of his other relatives have been secured due to the role played by tribal elders and local notables." If true, this is perhaps the first [and only] time that TTP has unconditionally freed an army man.
ISPR’s statement suggesting an “unconditional release” raises a question- why did TTP first make demands to free the abductees and then go in for an “unconditional release” as claimed by ISPR? Experts familiar with the ways of TTP are sanguine that Rawalpindi had definitely cut a secret deal with this terrorist group that could have possibly included release of TTP fighters in Pakistan army’s custody and a ransom to secure the release of its officer and his relatives.

Unanswered Questions

Isn’t it unfortunate that while the Pakistan army could secure the release of a Lt Col by soliciting the help of “tribal elders and local notables,” why didn’t they attempt the same in the case of the seven captured soldiers in Balochistan? Is it that while Rawalpindi is worried about the safety and wellbeing of senior officers, for it lives of soldiers doesn’t matter?
Field Marshal Asim Munir maintains that the majority of the Baloch population is with the Pakistan army and so garnering public support for securing the release of its soldiers shouldn’t have been a problem. So, why didn’t Rawalpindi do this?
Some may argue that the seven men presented on social media by BLA as soldiers were imposters and didn’t belong to the Pakistan army. However, even if this was the case, why didn’t the Pakistan army expose the BLA’s falsehood by issuing an official denial clarifying that the seven men seen in the BLA videos weren’t members of the Pakistani armed forces?
BLA has disclosed that it had extended the one week long negotiation deadline by another fortnight, but subsequently retracted this extension claiming that the Pakistan army was “not serious.” It also stated that in the garb of negotiations the Pakistan army was using the “deceptive tactic” of stalling for time while intensifying operations, deploying drones, gunship helicopters and additional troops in the area [probably to locate and free the abducted soldiers].
This claim makes sense and explains why the Pakistan army neither confirmed nor categorically denied that the seven men in BLA custody were its soldiers.
Not disclosing information regarding apprehension of its soldiers by opponents is a normal practice within the Pakistan army. An example- the world only came to know that the Afghan Taliban had captured three Pakistani soldiers during the October 2025 border clashes after four months, and that too when Kabul announced their release last month.

A Plausible Hypothesis

What probably may have happened is that in order to avoid embarrassment, the Pakistan army chose not to disclose the fact that seven of its soldiers had been taken into custody by BLA. It discreetly started negotiations for their release and even managed to convince BLA to extend the seven days deadline by a fortnight.
However, since the Pakistan army started utilising this extension period to secretly try and locate its captured soldiers in an effort to secure their freedom through a military operation, BLA called off the negotiations. Fearing that the location of the captured soldiers may have been, or was likely to be compromised, BLA executed these soldiers.
As the Pakistan army didn’t acknowledge that these men were its soldiers while they were alive, doing so after they’ve been killed would create an ugly situation for Rawalpindi that could spiral out of control. Hence, just like their brother-in-arms killed during the Kargil conflict, the seven soldiers executed by BLA earlier this week have been abandoned by the Pakistan army.

Epilogue

In the video of the captured soldiers, one can be seen crying and asking “Why did you recruit me if you were going to say that we are not your men [personnel]?” Though definitely a very disturbing question, as Pakistan’s Chief of defence Forces, Field Marshal Munir needn’t worry about how to frame a suitable answer because the soldier who asked this question is now no longer alive. And so he can sleep peacefully as the lifetime immunity against criminal proceedings acquired by him through the 27th constitutional amendment will take care of the rest!

Email:-----------------------nileshkunwar.56@gmail.com