• Two policemen also wounded in Shah Latif Town shoot-out
• Five hand grenades, explosives with detonators seized

KARACHI: Four suspected terrorists belonging to the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) were shot dead and two policemen wounded in an alleged encounter in Shah Latif Town in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) said the suspects belonged to Bashir Zeb network of Fitna al-Hindustan, a term used by the state for Balochistan-based terrorist groups.

Giving details, the police said a team of CTD carried out a raid on a terrorists’ hideout in Shah Latif Town on a lead provided by three previously arrested suspects.

DIG Ghulam Azfar Mahesar said that the encounter began when the men inside the Shah Latif Town house opened fire and CTD personnel retaliated.

The CTD said that additional police contingents were called to the scene and when the guns fell silent, four alleged terrorists were found injured “by firing from their own accomplices”.

They were taken to a hospital where they died, the department said.

Three of the suspects were identified as Jaleel alias Farid, Niaz alias King and Hamdan alias Farid, while efforts were underway to determine the identity of the fourth suspect.

The CTD said some accomplices had managed to escape under the cover of darkness and a search operation was initiated to apprehend them.

It claimed to have recovered a Kalashnikov, five grenades and explosives from the house.

Suspecting the presence of explosives, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was summoned, which cordoned off and evacuated the surrounding area. The BDS confirmed the presence of explosive material inside the house and began neutralisation efforts.

According to a BDS statement, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were being prepared in drums within the premises. Detonators, detonating wire and electrical circuits were also recovered.

Two CTD officials — Head Constable Muhammad Yousuf and Constable Raja Junaid — were also wounded in the exchange of fire. They were shifted to the Aga Khan University Hospital, where their condition was said to be stable.

Three ‘BLA men’ remanded in police custody

Separately, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday remanded three BLA suspects in police custody in a case pertaining to possessing explosive substances.

The CTD personnel brought suspects Yasir Arafat, Khuda Bux and Zahid Husain Barakzai before the administrative judge of the ATCs and sought their physical remand for interrogation.

Meanwhile, their lawyer contended that Barakzai had been picked up from his residence on Jan 27 and a missing person’s FIR had already been registered at the Kalakot police station and that a petition also filed before the Sindh High Court seeking his recovery.

According to the CTD, a raid was conducted on a tip-off at Noorani graveyard in Chakkra Goth on Feb 16, during which the suspects were apprehended and allegedly found in possession of over two kilogrammes of explosives, detonators and other materials, including books containing “extremist content”.

The CTD claimed that during initial interrogation, the suspects allegedly disclosed their affiliation with the banned BLA and stated that, on the instructions of their leader, they had come to deliver the explosive material to their accomplices.

After hearing both sides, the court handed over their physical custody for four days and directed the IO to submit a progress report on the hearing date.

Three FIRs were registered at the CTD police station under Section 4/5 of the Explosive Substance Act read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The law enforcers had claimed that the suspects allegedly brainwashed students of different colleges and universities to persuade them to join outlawed groups.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2026