**Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)** released a new video through its media wing Haqkal on February 20, 2026. It is being said that **seven Pakistani Army men** are in captivity. These people are directly challenging the military’s denial of any missing or captured soldier. In the footage, these people are seen showing official Army Service Card and NADRA identity document. They are pleading for identification and rescue amid a seven-day ultimatum (which was issued earlier, set to expire on February 22, 2026). The ultimatum demands exchange of prisoners for detained Baloch fighters and “missing” people, otherwise they will be hanged.
In the emotional clip, a soldier—identified as **Mohammad Shahram**—cries and questions the army’s attitude: “When we have these official cards, how can the army say we are not their people?” “I fought for Pakistan, and today the Pakistani Army is not my master,” he says, emphasizing his role as a disabled father and sole breadwinner for the family. Others including **Deedar Ullah** (Peshawar) and **Usman** (Gujranwala) confirmed the ranks/units and appealed for talks for safe withdrawal.
The BLA claims the prisoners were captured during “Operation Heroof 2.0” (a follow-up to the previous campaign, which involved coordinated attacks on security targets in late January/early February 2026). Initial claims were of 17 people being held, some of whom were released after investigation, leaving seven survivors. The video mocks institutional denial, drawing parallels to the Kargil war where Pakistan initially refused to accept regular troops by calling them “mujahideen”.
Pakistan’s **Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)** dismissed the earlier footage (from around 14-15 February) as “AI-generated misinformation”, and insisted that no men were missing. As of February 20 evening, there has been no official response to the new “proof-of-life” video, leading to growing anger in the country over the possibility of troops deserting and the dangers of low morale.
The crisis followed escalating violence: BLA’s “Heroef 2.0” attacks (late January) targeted targets, following which the army launched **Operation Radd-ul-Fitna-1** (29 January–5 February), in which ISPR said 216 militants were killed, but 22 security personnel were confirmed dead (BLA claims higher casualties). Analysts warn that continued denial could undermine confidence in the ranks amid the Baloch insurgency.
The government remains silent, due to which the fate of the prisoners remains uncertain as the deadline approaches.
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