On July 19, Pakistan’s Special Services Group (SSG) carried out a successful counterterrorism operation in Noshki, Balochistan, targeting the banned militant organization Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Nine terrorists were killed in the operation. Security sources confirmed their involvement in recent brutal attacks in which passengers were offloaded from buses and killed in cold blood. These terrorists were also involved in torching heavy machinery of construction companies in the region.
On July 22 ,the operation, codenamed “Pahrod Cleanser,” targeted a high-value BLA hideout. Among those who resisted with advanced weaponry was not just an ordinary militant—he was the chairman of the Baloch Students Council at the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore: Sufiyan Kurd, also known by his alias Chairman Sashan. Sufiyan received his early education at Sashan Public School in Khuzdar. Because of this affiliation, he became known among his peers as “Chairman Sashan.”
In recent months, concerns have been rising across Balochistan that extremist groups have begun targeting schoolchildren through covert ideological campaigns. Militant facilitators are allegedly working under the guise of student activism to introduce anti-state literature in schools and student councils, effectively radicalizing young minds. Sufiyan Kurd appears to be one of those who fell victim to this very trap. He is the grandson of Babu Abdul Rehman Kurd, son of Advocate Mir Saeed Kurd, and nephew of Dr. Saleem Kurd.
On May 16, 2021, Sufiyan went missing. He later surfaced in the mountains where he reportedly received militant training and formally joined the BLA. Upon returning, he was tasked with indoctrinating Baloch students through the Baloch Students Council and recruiting them for anti-state activities and terrorism.
Ironically, Sufiyan had been enrolled at UMT Lahore under a government of Balochistan scholarship reserved for Baloch students. Instead of focusing on academics, he used his platform in the Baloch Students Council Punjab to radicalize and recruit youth.
He eventually became chairman of the council and became active in the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). Under its banner, he not only organized protests in Punjab and Islamabad but also helped expand and mobilize other Baloch councils in educational institutions, serving as a recruiter and ideological trainer.
In 2023, when Mahrang Baloch and BYC organized a sit-in in Islamabad, Sufiyan was given the responsibility to gather and mobilize students from Baloch councils in Punjab and Islamabad. He was arrested by Islamabad police during that protest but later released after pressure from BYC leadership.
Sufiyan remained actively involved in all protests held in Islamabad and Balochistan. On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), he regularly shared BYC propaganda, promoted militant ideologies, and played a central role in spreading hate against the state while luring more Baloch students into the BLA’s fold.
A friend of Sufiyan revealed on social media that he had been suspended from UMT in 2024 due to consistent low attendance, poor academic performance, and involvement in protest activities. His parents had sent him to Lahore for a better education. The government had awarded him a scholarship and a reserved seat as part of efforts to uplift Baloch youth.
His family dreamed of a better future for him, and the state provided the tools. But Sufiyan chose to abandon the pen for the gun—becoming a murderer of innocent civilians and a traitor to the state, ultimately killed in a military operation.
Sufiyan Kurd’s case raises serious concerns about the role of certain student councils that may be acting as soft platforms for militant recruitment. These groups, under the cover of student activism, may be helping provide manpower to terrorist outfits.
In the past, Baloch Student Organization–Azad (BSO-Azad) has also been linked to similar activities, serving as a breeding ground for extremist ideologies on university campuses. Many BLA commanders have reportedly emerged from such organizations.
Today, BLA propagandists on social media are celebrating Sufiyan’s death by calling him a “commander.” But in reality, he was a young man whom his parents wanted to educate. The state gave him opportunities. Yet, he rejected both—opting instead for violence. He ended up as a killer of innocents, a rebel against the state—killed in the very path he chose for himself. Sufiyan’s story is not just his own. It is a tragic reflection of how misguided youth, despite having all the tools for success, can fall into the trap of radicalization and destroy their future
