BY KASWAR KLASRA
The recent arrests of a leader of the banned Balochistan National Army Gulzar Imam aka Shamby, who was linked to terrorist attacks, and of other operatives later after months of strenuous efforts are termed as a great success for Pakistan’s security agencies and a serious blow to BNA and other militant groups, said officials and analysts.
Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat, the secretary of information of the Baluchistan government told the correspondent that Gulzar’s arrest is “a great success”, showing Pakistan’s commitment to bring each perpetrator against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to justice.
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Gulzar Imam was deemed instrumental in the formation of Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar and remained its Operational Head. Later he helped formed a new militant outfit named BNA.
“In a high profile and successful Intelligence Operation, Lead Intelligence Agency successfully apprehended a High-Value Target Gulzar Imam alias Shambay,” Inter-Services Public Relations of Pakistan Army said in a statement on April 7. The target has been a hardcore militant as well as 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, according to the statement.
The arrest followed penetration into various social media groups and access into various terrorist networks and other engagements, sources said. Preparations for the operation spread over months and the climax was carried out under 12 hours in a very calculated manner.
Authorities said the BNA had been responsible for a number of violent terrorist attacks in Pakistan including attacks on Chinese nationals and Pakistan army installations in Panjgur and Noshki.
The BNA claimed responsibility for a powerful bomb attack that killed two people in Anar Kali Bazar in Lahore on January 20, 2022, and a blast on Feb 16 that left two dead and four injured on the Jaffar Express that plies between Balochistan and Peshawar. Gulzar Imam served as deputy to Brahamdagh Bugti in BRA until 2018.
Ahmad Quraishi, Islamabad-based Senior fellow with Project Pakistan 21, an independent research group based in Islamabad, said Shambay’s arrest could help in better understanding the support network, and the linkages on the ground across the borders, including in Afghanistan.
He said the capture could yield a treasure trove of information about the Baloch Republican Army and the United Baloch Army that merged last year.
Acting on tip also resulted in the arrest of dozens of operatives including a few operational commanders of the militant groups who were believed to be involved in preparing and executing attacks on Pakistani security forces and Chinese nationals in Karachi, indicating the busting of a network operating across Pakistan. Investigations are still underway.
Claiming this a big “achievement”, a source with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence noted this network had done irreparable damage to law enforcement agencies.
Dr Tahir Jamil, an expert with Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, noted the arrests represent a significant development for Pakistan and China as a chief reservation in the Baluchistan region is the security of the CPEC. “Such action will regain the confidence of both stakeholders,” he said by phone.
Professor Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, also with Quaid-I-Azam University, said, “Indeed, it’s a great achievement of Pakistani law enforcement agencies.”
Gulzar’s arrest assists in identifying and breaking Baloch insurgents’ connectivity and support base, and testifies to Pakistani law enforcement agencies’ resolve, ability, and capability to combat and quash the menace of terrorism from Pakistan, he said.
Hamza Shafqaat, with the Baluchistan government, said they are working on a two-pronged strategy. Local authorities are “also working on economy and reducing poverty so that angry segments may revert,” he said.
Police record shows Gulzar Imam, born in the Paroom district of Panjgur in 1978, remained a leading character in steering militant activities in Balochistan, particularly in South Balochistan. He was a staunch believer in an “independent” Balochistan and visited India on fake documents in December 2017