New Delhi: A Pakistani separatist group claimed responsibility for a late-night bombing that targeted a convoy with Chinese nationals outside Pakistan’s largest airport, killing two workers from China and wounding eight people. This is the most recent violent attack on Chinese people in Pakistan. The attack happened just a week before Pakistan is going to host a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is mainly located in the restive southwestern Balochistan province. In recent years, it has also targeted foreigners and security forces in other parts of Pakistan.
In this article, let us look at how the Baloch Liberation Army was formed and its demands.
Baloch Liberation Army: History
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is a terrorist and militant group. It operates from safe havens in southern Afghanistan and carries out attacks in Balochistan, Pakistan. The targets of these attacks include Pakistan’s military, civilians and people from other countries.
The BLA was officially formed in 2000, and around 6,000 members are from the Marri, Bugti and Mengal clans. Between 1973 and 1977, the Baloch engaged in two major guerrilla wars against the Pakistani government during the ‘Independent Balochistan Movement.’ The leaders of the Baloch movement have claimed sovereignty over the southeastern province and northern Pashtun region.
The group aims to remove Pakistani influence from their country and create a Greater Balochistan province by including the Iranian and Afghani Baloch territories.
According to some sources, two ex-KGB agents called ‘Misha’ and ‘Sasha’ were part of the BLA’s beginnings. They say BLA was based on the Baloch Student Organization (BSO). BLA went away after the Soviet Union left Afghanistan and stopped giving money.
The governments of Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and the United States have labelled BLA as a terrorist organisation.
The rise of the Baloch Liberation Army
On February 10, 1973, Pakistani police and paramilitary forces entered the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad without permission from the Iraqi government. They found a large cache of weapons and supplies marked ‘Foreign Ministry, Baghdad’, which they believed were meant for Baloch rebels. Pakistan responded by expelling the Iraqi Ambassador and other consular staff.
In 2004, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) began a violent struggle against Pakistan for self-determination and the separation of Balochistan from Pakistan. They conducted terror attacks against non-Baloch minorities in Balochistan.
Pakistan designated the BLA as a terrorist organisation on April 7, 2006, after repeated attacks on security personnel. The British government followed suit on July 17, 2006, listing BLA as a “proscribed group”. Despite Pakistan’s protest, the UK harboured Hyrbyair Marri, a suspected BLA leader, as a refugee. The United States also classified the group’s actions as terrorism.
In 2009, Baloch activist Brahamdagh Khan Bugti, accused by the Pakistani government of being a BLA leader, called for attacks on non-Baloch residents in Balochistan, resulting in about 500 deaths. BLA leaders later claimed responsibility for the attacks, which targeted people from various ethnic backgrounds.
In 2010, the BLA attacked the province’s schools, teachers, and students. In 2019, they targeted Chinese nationals in an attack on the Pearl-Continental Hotel due to their opposition to the Gwadar Port City.
On July 2, 2019, the United States labelled the BLA as a global terrorist group and froze its assets. The European Union also labelled the BLA as a terrorist group.
On April 26, 2022, a 30-year-old science teacher and mother of two set off explosives at the University of Karachi, killing three Chinese teachers. The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack, identifying her as their first female suicide bomber.
On January 18, 2024, Pakistan carried out strikes on separatist targets in Iran, successfully hitting hideouts used by BLA and BLF in the operation.
Balochistan
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and least populated province, is abundant in oil and minerals. It is a significant centre for the ethnic Baloch minority, who often report facing discrimination and exploitation by the central government. This has led to a separatist insurgency seeking independence while the province also grapples with the presence of Islamic militants.
Epicentre of Exploitation
Balochistan’s strategic importance has attracted international attention, especially due to China’s investments in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, the lack of local benefits has led to unrest and anti-Chinese sentiments, as seen in attacks on Chinese targets in the region.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) was created in 2000. Some media and analysts think it might be a reemergence of earlier Baloch rebel groups, especially the Independent Balochistan Movement of 1973-1977. Read on to learn more about the BLA. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
