QUETTA, Jan 18: An alleged commander of banned outfit Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and his comrade were killed in Mastung on Friday in what was described as a targeted operation’ launched by the Frontier Corps (FC).

A spokesman for the FC Balochistan claimed that Abdul Rasheed Shahwani, a commander of the BLA, and his comrade, Shah Jahan, were killed in the operation.

He said that Shahwani was involved in the killing of principal of the Cadet College, Mastung, and its two students in 2010. He also killed several other officials and 18 personnel of the FC in Margat area in January last year.

The FC spokesman said that sophisticate weapons, hand grenades, ammunition and BLA pamphlets were recovered from the possession of Shahwani.

The FC personnel along with policemen also raided several places in Sariab road area of Quetta and arrested 10 suspects. The FC team also arrested a drug dealer in the Pashtoonabad area and recovered 25kg of hashish.

The Baloch National Front condemned the targeted operation and announced that a three-day strike would be observed in Mastung in protest against the operation.

Meanwhile, Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi said a ‘targeted operation’ had been launched by law-enforcement agencies against terrorists in the province.

Talking to a delegation of the Hazara community headed by Sardar Saadat Hussain Hazara, the chief of the Hazara tribe, Mr Magsi said: “The government has launched a targeted operation to restore peace and bring anti-peace elements to justice.”

He assured the delegation that cases registered against the Hazara people in different police stations would soon be withdrawn and arrangements had been made for payment of compensation to families of the victims killed in last week’s bomb blasts which left more than 87 people dead and over 100 injured.

He also said that comprehensive security arrangements had been made to provide protection to pilgrims going to Iran from Pakistan for visiting sacred places in the neighbouring country.

He said the law-enforcement agencies had been assigned the task of bringing the law and order situation under control and to ensure security to all people of the province.

Balochistan Home Secretary Capt (retd) Akbar Hussain Durrani, Quetta CCPO Mir Zubair and other officials were present on the occasion.