The ‘innovatively designed’ operation that led to the arrest of the founder of the illegal BNA: ISPR Gulzar Imam was apprehended in what the organization describes as a “well-planned and flawlessly conducted” operation that spanned months.
RAWALPINDI: The security forces detained Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, the founder and head of the outlawed Baloch National Army (BNA), in a prominent intelligence-based operation on Friday, according to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
A “hardcore militant as well as founder and head of the outlawed organisation Baloch National Army (BNA), which was formed following the merger of Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and United Baloch Army (UBA),” according to the statement, was the “high-value target.”
The propaganda wing of the military emphasized that the BNA was behind a number of brutal terrorist actions in Pakistan, including assaults on LEA sites in Panjgur and Noshki.
According to the statement, Gulzar also served as Brahamdagh Bugti’s deputy in the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) until 2018. He also played a key role in the establishment of the Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) and continued to serve as its operational leader.
His trips to Afghanistan and India are also documented, and his connections to hostile intelligence agencies (HIAs) are being looked into, according to ISPR. Foreign intelligence services “tried to utilize Gulzar Imam to work against Pakistan and its national interests,” it continued.
He was captured during an operation that took months to design, was painstakingly carried out, and included several different sites.
The arrest of Gulzar is “a severe blow to BNA as well as other terrorist organizations, who have been trying to undermine the hard-won peace in Balochistan,” it continued.
The arrest of a militant commander of this kind “demonstrates the capabilities and commitment of LEAs to remove the danger of terrorism,” according to the ISPR, and “speaks eloquently about the victories won through supreme sacrifices of unsung heroes.”
