Earlier on July 16, at least nine terrorists were killed and a havildar was martyred during an operation against the killers of Lt Col Laiq Baig Mirza, who was kidnapped while travelling to Quetta from Ziarat.
Five of the nine terrorists belonged to the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
However, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-Mengal), National Party and some Baloch groups had claimed that the five militants killed in the operation were actually missing persons.
Today, the Balochistan government penned a letter to the BHC, stating: “Government of Balochistan intends to conduct a ‘judicial inquiry’ by a honourable judge of High Court of Balochistan into the killing of persons in Ziarat operation under ‘The Balochistan Tribunal of Inquiry Ordinance 1969’… It is, therefore, requested that nomination of a judge …. may kindly be conveyed to this department for the subject purpose.”
The judicial inquiry would gauge the status of the persons killed in the operation to determine if they were under custody or otherwise.