Shahzain Bugti in FC custody

QUETTA: The Balochistan Frontier Corps on Wednesday arrested Shahzain Bugti along with his 27 bodyguards and party members after recovering a large cache of arms from their possession.
Shahzain is the provincial president of the Jamhoori Watan Party and the grandson of Baloch tribal leader late Nawab Akbar Bugti.
Shahzain, son of JWP chief Talal Akbar Bugti, was on his way to Quetta from Chaman. Police and Frontier Corps personnel signalled his 18-vehicle convoy to stop at Balelli checkpost, but Shahzain ignored them.
Later, his convoy had to stop at barricades erected by law enforcement officials, who demanded an inspection of the vehicles. When the JWP leader resisted, the FC personnel took him into custody.
After a complete search of 18 vehicles, the FC recovered a large quantity of weapons, rocket propeller guns (RPG) along with launchers, a few landmines and anti-aircraft guns, apart from thousands of live rounds.
FC officials told reporters that the arms and ammunition recovered were illegal and Shahzain had been arrested for their possession. However, Shahzain said he had been trapped by law enforcement officials because he had announced to march to Dera Bugti on December 28 with hundreds of Bugti tribesmen and JWP workers. Shahzain said all the weapons belonged to the Frontier Corps.
Meanwhile, FC Balochistan Inspector General Major Gen Obaidullah Khan told a press conference that FC arrested Shahzain for possessing huge quantity of illegal arms, which were not for his protection but for nefarious designs.
Addressing the press conference with Balochistan Inspector General of Police Malik Mohammad Iqbal, he said Shahzain and the guards did not have permits to carry the weapons.
He said 50 Sub-machine guns, four LMGs, two 12.7mm guns, two14.5mm guns, one SPG, one 9mm pistol, one army universal gun and thousands of bullets of various calibres were recovered.
However, Talal Bugti, president of the JWP, accused Interior Minister Rahman Malik of masterminding the arrest of Shahzain, saying all illegal weapons belonged to intelligence agencies.