The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of an officer and his relatives
Separatists in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province have killed a hostage of the family of an officer who was kidnapped and killed earlier this week, officials said Saturday.
Balochistan has long been the scene of low-level unrest by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army and other separatist groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad.
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The Balochistan Liberation Army, which was designated a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of an officer and his relatives earlier this week while they were on a highway near the town of Ziarat, 100 km northeast of Quetta, the provincial capital.
The family was on their way to a tourist resort in the area. Later that night, the attackers released all the hostages except for Officer Laziq Mirza and his cousin. The officer's body was found on Thursday during a search by security forces.
The body of his cousin Omar Jaweed was found on Saturday in a bank in the area, according to two Pakistani intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
In turn, Balochistan Interior Minister Mir Zia Lango condemned Jaweed's killing and expressed the authorities' determination to "eliminate terrorism" in the province.
The army said in a previous statement that efforts were underway to find and rescue Jawad. The statement also stated that the security forces killed nine militants during the search operations.
Jain Baloch, the alleged spokesman for the Balochistan Liberation Army, denied any casualties among the separatists.
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