QUETTA: Forty-three militants belonging to a banned organisation have surrendered themselves to authorities in Dera Bugti.

According to official sources, at a ceremony held in Dera Bugti on Tuesday the militants announced that they had parted ways with Nawabzada Brahamdagh Bugti and decided to join mainstream politics.

A spokesperson for the Frontier Corps said that the 43 men who belonged to the banned Balochistan Republican Army (BRA) had handed over their weapons to authorities.

He said they had vowed to remain loyal to Pakistan and to work for the development of the country. “We have decided to abandon armed struggle and join mainstream politics after Brahamdagh Bugti sought asylum in India,” he quoted the men as saying.

He said they had expressed their concern over the Baloch nationalist leader’s closeness with India and informed the authorities that dozens of other BRA members would soon quit militancy and announce their dissociation with Brahamdagh Bugti’s policies.

The FC spokesperson said that BRA militants were launching attacks against those who had announced detaching themselves from subversive activities.

He said a few days ago BRA militants attacked a village from where they took away 1,500 livestock and weapons.

However, he added that FC personnel launched an operation in the area and recovered all the stolen livestock and weapons.

Published in Dawn October 19th, 2016