The allegation was levelled by Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) chairman Nasrullah Baloch, Dawn News reported.

A press release from the CTD said that it had received information that some “terrorists” of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army group were present in Kharan’s outskirts and possessed a large quantity of weapons and ammunition, with an aim to plan a major terrorist activity.

The press release stated that subsequently a team of its own personnel and a security institution was constituted to locate the possible hideout.

The intelligence teams located the hideout and determined the presence of seven “terrorists” led by Ashfaq Ahmed alias Jameel. The joint team then planned an operation and was met by indiscriminate firing, the newspaper reported.

While talking to Dawn.com, Nasrullah, the rights group chairman, contended that the killings were not the result of an operation but was a staged encounter.

He said that three of the four individuals killed by the CTD had been identified, with one of them being Tabish Waseem Baloch.