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QUETTA: The military has claimed the arrest of the founder of the banned Baloch National Army (BNA) during an intelligence-based operation in the Prom area of Balochistan’s Panjgur district.
In a statement released on Friday, the military’s media wing said the “hardcore militant” was identified as Gulzar Imam alias Shambay.
“A High-Value Target (HVT) was arrested in an “innovatively conceived, carefully planned and meticulously executed” intelligence operation spanning over months and across various geographical locations,” ISPR said in a statement.
Imam was the founder and leader of the banned outfit BNA, which came into being after the amalgamation of the Baloch Republican Army and United Baloch Army, ISPR added.
He was “instrumental” in the formation of Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar — a coalition of three Baloch nationalist groups, namely Baloch Liberation Army, Balochistan Liberation Front and Baloch Republican Guards — and remained its operational head, the military claimed, adding that he served as deputy to Brahamdagh Bugti in BRA till 2018.
BNA had claimed responsibility for dozens of violent terrorist attacks in Pakistan including those on law enforcement agencies and sensitive installations in Panjgur and Noshki, the statement said.
The militant’s visits to Afghanistan and India are also on record while his linkages with foreign intelligence agencies were being investigated, the ISPR added.
Foreign intelligence agencies “also tried to exploit him to work against the state of Pakistan and its national interests,” the statement claimed. The arrest of Imam is a serious blow to the BNA and other militant groups, which have been “attempting to destabilise the hard-earned peace in Balochistan,” the ISPR said.
“Apprehension of a militant leader of this stature demonstrates the capability and resolve of LEAs to uproot the menace of terrorism as well as speaks volumes about the successes garnered through supreme sacrifices of unsung heroes.”
Malik Asad in Islamabad also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2023
