The Balochistan government has announced that families who fail to report missing relatives or those involved in terrorism will face strict action. According to the provincial government, relatives of such individuals will be subject to confiscation of property, dismissal from government service, and withdrawal of state privileges.
Citizens have been warned that if their relatives are found to be linked with terrorism and the families did not previously inform authorities about their disappearance or affiliation with an armed group, legal action will also be taken against the family members.
According to an official notification issued by the provincial Home Department, families must provide such information within seven days to the nearest police station.The order also requires families of those already missing to submit details within a week, in line with Sections 118 and 202 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), read with Section 11(1)(EEE) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.
In addition, households whose relatives have joined militant outfits must file sworn affidavits of separation and disownment within the same timeframe, under Sections 120/120-A of the PPC, read with Section 11(1)(a)(EEE) of the ATA.
The Home Department made it clear that failure to report or disown missing/militant-linked relatives would render families liable as “abettors or facilitators” under anti-terrorism laws. Such individuals may also be placed in the Fourth Schedule, which entails close monitoring, travel restrictions, and regular reporting to law enforcement, under Sections 107, 109 and 114 of the PPC read with relevant ATA provisions.
Officials warned that those found complicit in shielding militant relatives would face strict punitive measures, including confiscation of property, dismissal from government service, and the withdrawal of state financial and welfare benefits.
The directive, published through advertisements in local newspapers, underscores the provincial government’s escalating measures to clamp down on terrorism and the support networks that enable insurgent groups to operate in the province.
What we know about Mir Khan Lehri – The arrested BLA operative from Quetta
In a disturbing trend, last month the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested Mir Khan Lehri, a government prosecutor accused of aiding the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Earlier, Dr. Usman Qazi, a lecturer at BUITEMS University, was also detained on charges of facilitating a BLA operative who masterminded the Quetta Railway Station attack.
