2 ex-BLA commanders surrender, pledge to struggle in mainstream

QUETTA: Two former commanders of the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), along with their companions, have surrendered and declared their intention to join the peaceful struggle for rights within the framework of Pakistan’s constitution.

They stated, “My companions and I realised we were being exploited for the interests of foreign powers, which compelled us to leave and become part of the mainstream.”

The ex-commanders of BLA, including Najeebullah alias Darwish and Abdul Rasheed alias Khuda-i-Dad alias Kamash announced this while addressing a press conference, here on Friday. They narrated a detailed story, how and why they had joined hands with the BLA and BLF.

Senior Minister for Planning and Development, Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Sports and Youth Affairs, Ms Meena Majeed Baloch, were also present at the press conference.

Najeebullah said that the group’s “training of the mind” and literature played a huge role in brainwashing recruits from various parts of Balochistan. They were conducting two kinds of training which include body and mind changing. He alleged that the recruits were taught “the Marxist perspective and examples of leaders from across the globe, such as Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh and Bhagat Singh”.

Najeebullah said that he became involved with separatism in 2005 after discussing the situation in Balochistan with his friend, who was a commander with the Baloch Liberation Front.

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

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

“In these groups, our goal was to secede from Pakistan and ensure that the Baloch youth opposed the state,” he added. Najeebullah said that he had been in contact with intelligence agents from foreign nations, who had little interest in Baloch independence.

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

He also criticised the leaders of other Baloch separatist groups, stating that they “live lives of luxury abroad”.

“The leaders of most groups are living abroad,” he said. “Dr Lanzar’s son is in Malaysia, Athar Nadeem’s son is in France and Sammi Deen Baloch’s brother is working in Oman.

“Meanwhile, the soldiers in the hills do not even have two pieces of bread to eat,” he said and added that operatives are unable to receive medical care if they are injured in fighting, while the families of Baloch separatist leaders have the best medical care available.

“Is this really a struggle for freedom?” he asked. “If we question our leaders, we either get killed or arrested in some neighboring country like I was. This made my will to leave even stronger and try to peacefully solve my people’s issues within the state’s bounds.”