Terrorists claimed as 'missing persons' killed in strike on Iran: minister

QUETTA: Caretaker Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai said Sunday those who were killed in Pakistan's recent strike on Iran were "terrorists" but were declared "missing persons" by the Baloch protesters, Geo News reported.

Talking to media persons in Quetta, Achakzai levelled a spectrum of allegations on those who had been holding a sit-in protest in Islamabad for several days. 

He said the people whom the participants of the protest declared missing persons were actually "terrorists" and were killed in Iran. Pakistan lately achieved successes on many fronts, he added.

He said Mahrang Baloch was staging a drama in the missing persons’ names and trying to belittle Pakistan on that matter.

Pakistan on Thursday launched strikes on terrorists’ hideouts inside Iran, in a retaliatory attack two days after Tehran violated the country’s sovereignty by launching a strike in Balochistan that left two children dead and injured three girls.

In a statement, the Pakistan Army had said the hideouts used by terrorist militant organisations, namely Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), were successfully struck in an intelligence-based operation, code-named — "Marg Bar Sarmachar".

The provincial information minister said Baloch protesters were staging the sit-in in Islamabad for ulterior motives.

“They could disturb the law and order situation. In such a situation, it becomes impossible to stop a terror incident. Those wearing masks in the sit-in can be terrorists of banned outfits,” he added.

He said the hostile intelligence agencies could target the protestors’ camp to blame Pakistan. It is not a judicial matter, the ongoing protest camp in Islamabad should be dealt with by the city administration, he said.

Citing the Iranian claim that it targeted Jaish ul Adl in Pakistan, Achakzai said no such organisation existed in Pakistan.