QUETTA: Three suspected commanders of a banned militant group laid down their arms on Saturday along with their 21 associates in the Sui area of Dera Bugti district and announced that they were abandoning their armed struggle and joining the mainstream.

According to officials, the banned Baloch Republican Army (BRA) ‘commanders’ Wali Hotkani, Abdul Qadir and Imam Bakhsh handed over their weapons along with the other militants to Frontier Corps officers at a ceremony held in Sui town.

Officials, a large number of tribal elders and other people attended the ceremony.

“We have decided to abandon the armed struggle and join the mainstream to serve our people who have been facing great difficulties for a long time,” Imam Bakhsh said, adding that his group had long been operating in the area.

Three of them were leaders of banned BRA

The suspected militants took the oath of allegiance to the Constitution of Pakistan and handed over a large cache of arms and ammunition to the security forces. “We will remain loyal to Pakistan,” Wali Hotkani said.

Security officials said: “We welcome all the former militants who have joined the mainstream and announced abandoning the armed struggle.” The erstwhile militants were involved in attacking gas installations and security personnel and other subversive activities.

The officials said the government would provide security to those who laid down their arms and provide financial assistance to them from the ‘peaceful Balochistan package’ announced by the provincial government.

Published in Dawn January 22nd, 2017