QUETTA: A former ‘commander’ of the banned Baloch Liberation Army on Friday disclosed how it and other such outfits had been carrying out an armed separatist campaign.

Najeebullah alias Darwish stated this at a press conference, where he and another former BLA ‘commander’ Abdul Rasheed alias Khuda-i-Dad alias Kamash, surrendered along with their associates. They announced their decision to join mainstream politics to wage a peaceful struggle for rights, while remaining within the parameters of the Constitution of Pakistan.

Senior Minister for Planning and Development Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Adviser to Chief Minister on Sports and Youth Affairs Mina Majeed Baloch, and DIG Quetta and CTD Chief Aitezaz Ahmed Goraya were also present on the occasion.

Najeebullah told the media how and why they had joined hands with the outlawed BLA and Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), before he spoke about the reasons behind their change of heart.

Says Baloch youth are brainwashed to join banned groups; claims contact with ‘foreign intel agents’

“I and my other companions later felt that actually we are being used to serve the interests of foreign powers,” he said, adding that’s why they decided to quit them and join the mainstream.

Sharing details, Najeebullah pointed out that the group’s “training of the mind” and its literature played a main role in the brainwashing of recruits from various parts of Balochistan. They were conducting two kinds of training - aimed at bringing changes to the body and the mind.

“The body’s training is related to handling weapons or carry out exercises the first thing in the morning, just like how the army men undergo training, but training of the mind is more important ,” he said.

Najeebullah said he became involved with separatism in 2005 after discussing the situation prevailing in Balochistan with his friend, who was a ‘commander’ with the banned BLF.

“After he was killed, I joined the Baloch Republican Party,” he said, adding that he had an interest in politics. “I eventually became a member of the party’s central committee.”

He said that after remaining associated with the outlawed group for 19 years, he decided to quit it and surrender himself to the government after witnessing “the BLA’s reality”.

“I was uneducated and they brainwashed me to plot against Pakistan,” he said, adding that he was between 14-15 years old at the time.

“While being in these groups, our goal was to secede from Pakistan and ensure that the Baloch youth opposed the state,” he stated. “Throughout my time in these groups, this was also my goal.”

Najeebullah claimed that he had been in contact with intelligence agents from foreign nations.

However, he added, they had little interest in Baloch independence.

“These agents said they were not interested in our independence as much as they were in making Pakistan unstable,” he claimed.

“They used us for their own aims.”

Najeebullah also criticised leaders of other Baloch separatist groups, stating that they “live a life of luxury abroad”.

“The leaders of most groups are living abroad,” he said.

“Meanwhile, the ‘soldiers’ in the hills do not even have two pieces of bread to eat,” he said, while referring to Baloch militants.

He added that those operatives are unable to receive medical treatment if they are injured in encounters, while the families of Baloch separatist leaders have the best medical care available.

Najeebullah urged his “friends in the mountains” to not be a part of attempts to destabilise the state. “These years are the most important time of your life. I urge you not to be a part of this proxy and spend a peaceful life in the state.”

He said that large numbers of youth, who are also ‘in the mountains’, want to disassociate themselves from these organisations.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2025