In 'serious blow' to decades-old separatist insurgency, Pakistan arrests founder of Balochistan National Army

Security personnel of Pakistan's Frontier Corps patrol in Qila Saifullah district of Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan on September 16, 2020. (AFP/File)

• Military statement says Gulzar Imam, known as Shambay, is militant founder and leader of Baloch Nationalist Army
• Says Shambay's visits to India and Afghanistan on record, links with hostile intel agencies being investigated

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan top intelligence agency arrested a high-value target in an operation against a Baloch insurgent group in the country's southwest, the army said Friday.
The military statement said Gulzar Imam, also known by the name Shambay, is the militant founder and leader of the banned Baloch Nationalist Army. An umbrella group for Baloch insurgents, the BNA was formed after two main insurgent groups merged: The Baloch Republican Army and United Baloch Army.
The army said BNA had been involved in dozens of terrorist attacks in the country, including those on security forces.
The military’s media wing said that Shambay's visits to India and Afghanistan were on record and his suspected links with hostile intelligence agencies are being investigated. The military said the arrest was made possible after a monthslong intelligence effort, but did not provide further details.
The gas-rich southwestern Balochistan province at the border of Afghanistan and Iran has been a scene of low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists for more than two decades. Baloch nationalists initially wanted a share from the provincial resources, but later they initiated an insurgency for independence.