A senior Pakistani army officer and his friend were found shot dead on Thursday, two days after militants kidnapped them in the restive southwest province of Balochistan, security officials said.
The separatist insurgent Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) released a statement saying it abducted and killed Lieutenant-Colonel Laeeq Baig Mirza, a rare attack on an officer of his rank in the region that borders Iran and Afghanistan.
Mirza was seized as he travelled back to the city of Quetta from Ziarat, a hill station, with his family and the friend on Tuesday night, a security official said.
