* Pakistan’s intelligence agencies have dismantled a major terror network poised to unleash carnage during Independence Day celebrations, arresting Muhammad Usman—a state-educated scholar who turned bomber facilitator. The operation, codenamed Herof-II, thwarted plans by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) to deploy 32 suicide bombers and 4 vehicle-borne IEDs across Quetta and other cities.
* Usman, a lecturer at Balochistan’s BUITEMS University, exploited his position to radicalize students while orchestrating attacks, including the deadly Quetta Railway Station bombing (32 civilians killed) and the Jaffar Express hijacking (380 hostages). His cell included brother Jibran and Noman “Peerak”—a suicide bomber linked to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA). The network took orders from BLA commanders Murid Baloch and Mulla Amin.
* The investigation also exposed the BLA’s propaganda machinery. Its political front, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), demanded Usman’s release despite evidence and staged protests portraying bombers as “victims.” International rights groups amplified this narrative, branding counter-terror ops as “crackdowns” while ignoring BLA atrocities.
* In a strategic victory, the U.S. designated the BLA and its Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organizations in August 2025, validating Pakistan’s intelligence.
* Balochistan’s battle extends beyond bullets—it’s a war against disinformation. The BLA executed violence, the BYC laundered its image, and foreign actors enabled the distortion. Pakistan’s silent guardians cut the chain. Usman’s betrayal—a state scholar turned terrorist—reveals the enemy’s depth of infiltration. Balochistan’s future lies in books, not bombs.
