QUETTA: Two leaders of a banned militant organisation, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), have laid down their arms, along with 23 of their companions, saying they had decided to abandon their armed struggle against the state.

The commanders, Mir Jan Marri and Mir Ramzan Marri, as well as the 23 others, handed over their arms to Nawab Jangez Khan Marri, chieftain of the Marri tribe, at a ceremony in the Marri House here on Thursday evening.

Nawab Marri welcomed the decision and said more militants of his tribe were ready to surrender. The militants hiding in the mountains were in touch with him, he told reporters.

Mir Jan Marri said he and his companions had fought the government and security forces for 10 years. “I and Mir Ramzan Marri were based in Hub and were involved in acts of subversion in the area.”

After having fought for 10 long years, he said, he and his associates had realised that they were wrong and misguided by the leaders sitting abroad.

“Our leaders misguided all of us and asked us to fight for so-called independence of Balochistan. We took up arms against the state and security forces on their orders.”

Jan Marri said he and Ramzan Marri had decided to distance themselves, along with other militants, from the BLA and abandon the armed struggle against the state.

“It is our desire to join the national mainstream and work for development and prosperity of the country. I appeal to all others fighting in the mountains to come down in the larger interest of Baloch people,” he added.

Jan Marri said he was thankful to Nawab Jangez Marri who had convinced them to surrender. “Now we announce that we will live our remaining life as noble Pakistani citizens and a peaceful Baloch.”

Nawab Marri said that most of the militants felt that they were being used by the “so-called leadership” and were fighting for a wrong cause.

“A large number of militants want to leave their organisations and join the mainstream,” he claimed.

“About 80 per cent of the militants based in the mountains are in touch with me and want to talk to us for surrender.”

But, he regretted, a large number of them went back because of the lengthy and difficult process for laying down weapons.

The process was slow and needed to be simplified, said Nawab Marri, who is the Minister for Irrigation and Power in Balochistan’s cabinet.

He said Jan Marri and Ramzan Marri were under control of late Nawab Khair Bukhsh Marri, but “I have succeeded in bringing them back to the mainstream”.

In reply to a question, he said he was not a candidate for the post of chief minister of Balochistan. “The central leadership of the PML-N will take a decision on the matter after the Murree accord is implemented,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2015

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