Baloch Liberation Army (BLA)

Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) traces its roots in the 1974 insurgency in which the Marri tribe had played an important role. When the government forces overcame the insurgency, the Marris went into exile in Afghanistan. A controversial report published by Uzbek News Service (Central News Asia, February 2005) claimed that the BLA was the brainchild of the KGB and it was built around the core cadres of the BSO (Baloch Students Organization). The report also claimed that the BLA remained active during the Russo-Afghan war but disappeared from the scene because its main source of funding – the Soviet Union – disintegrated. The organization reorganized in 2002 with US, Russian and Indian funds. Balach Marri, Member Balochistan Provincial Assembly and his brother Hairbiyar Marri are leading the reincarnated group. They are sons of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri. Balach Marri is an electronic engineer who studied in Moscow and Hairbiyar Marri is settled in Dubai where he runs a business enterprise.

But Balach Marri denies that any foreign hand is involved in reshaping the BLA or Baloch insurgency. In spite of Balach denial, foreign involvement in Balochistan insurgency cannot be overall. The ground evidence shows that India, Afghanistan and somehow Iran is fueling the insurgency.

However, the factor of Marri and Bughti tribes’ traditional rivalry in shaping the insurgency has usually been overlooked. Our sources in Balochistan claimed that Nawab Akbar Bugti had established two big personal militias in the 1980s, with between 5,000 and 7,000 militants. It was a suitable time to get control over the area because the entire leadership of the Marri tribe, Bugti’s rival tribe, had gone into exile in Afghanistan. Nawab Bugti had close relations with the Afghan Communist government during 1980s. His militias were well equipped as he purchased the bulk of war weapons from Afghanistan during Dr Najeebullah government. Our sources claimed that Bugti had stored these weapons in Bambore and Morange camps. After the withdrawal of the Red Army from Afghanistan, Nawab Bugti’s relations with Dr Najeebullah government abruptly deteriorated. Dr Najeebullah tended to favor Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, the chief of the Marris, who was living in Kabul at that time. It was a part of secret plan of KGB to settle Khair Bakhsh Marri in Kabul and train his people for a guerilla war. But the situation changed after the Soviet withdrawal. Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri misread the emerging political scenario, while Bugti proved cleverer and started opposing the Communist regime in Afghanistan and won the support of the Zia regime ( Pakistan government pays royalty to Baloch tribes’ elders for using their land for gas pipelines and for the security of the gas installations and pipelines).

When the Afghan Mujahideen captured Kabul, Nawab Marri and his family also suffered much. He requested the Baloch tribal chiefs to help him to come out from Kabul. The Baloch sardars started campaigning for it. The then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif agreed to let the Marris come back and sent a special airplane to Kabul to bring Nawab Marri and his people back to their native land. The Sharif government gave Rs 50 million for their resettlement and built a Marri camp in Quetta to rehabilitate the Marris. After resettlement in his native Balochistan, the biggest challenge for Nawab Marri was to get back control over his native lands in Kohlu district.

Following in the footsteps of Nawab Bugti, he set up terrorist camps in Kohlu and started looking for help from external sources. Nawab Marri’s elder son Hairbiyar Marri formed the Marri militia, the Baloch Liberation Army, and looked for external financial assistance. His brother Balach Marri joined him in the plan and unsuccessfully sought help from the Russian intelligence service.

They offered the safe haven to criminals from around the country. In return they collected huge sum of money. Different types of criminals from other provinces were kept in their Farari camp. But this was not Hairbiyar’s dream. He needed the huge sums of money and weapons in order to establish a big militia and to compete with the Bugtis. He shifted Dubai to raise money. In Dubai, he got in contact with smugglers who were working in Afghanistan and India. He also met with Indian intelligence officials in Dubai and offered cooperation. He also met anti-Pakistan Afghan leaders such as Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Younis Qanooni who promised Hairbiyar Marri financial support. The two Afghan leaders supported the Marris through their middlemen. As soon as Hairbiyar Marri started getting financial support he started setting up more Farari camp in Balochistan.

According to an official source besides India and Afghanistan , Dubai is also supporting the BLA. Hairbiyar Marri has close connections with drug and arms smugglers in Dubai . He purchases weapons from the money of donations received from different countries. It is learnt that Dubai government knows about all these activities of Hairbiyar Marri in Dubai but takes no action against him.

According to a report in the Urdu daily Ummat of Karachi ( 7 January 2006 ), Nawab Marri’s BLA militant camps are located in Sibi, Bolan, Shoran and Tilli areas. Marris’ BLA has also established their hideouts in the residential areas of mines workers. When security forces successfully raided their hideouts in Marwar, Margatt and Macch in 2006, they found a large numbers of heavy weapons. Baloch nationalist party’s insiders also claim that Marris’ BLA is also operating terrorist’s camps in Afghanistan near Qandhar.

Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA)

The tribal militias of Nawab Akber Bugti were converted into the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in 2003. It aimed at countering Marris’ BLA and at getting assistance from Russia and India, who were supporting the BLA of Marris. He argued to get the financial and logistic support from these two countries on the ground that his militias are much bigger than the Marris’ BLA and he can operate not only in Balochistan but as well in the other parts of Pakistan. The grand son of Nawab Akbar Bugti, the head of the Bugti tribe and the Jamhoori Watoon Party (JWP) Brahamdagh Bugti holds the command of the organization.

Das shifted to New Dehli in 2201. The BLA commanders take a proper oath from new recruits and pay them Rs 2,000 and 3,000 a month. Nawab Akbar Bugti pays household expenditure to the militants’ families.

According to an official source Brahamdagh Bugti alias Chaakar-i-Azam and Commander Bangaam Karmazai are in charge for smuggling the weapons. These commanders also are taking care the kidnapping for ransom operations. Usually they kidnapped industrialists and rich businessmen from Karachi and Central Sindh.

According to a report in the Urdu daily Ummat of Karachi ( 7 January 2006) Nawab Akbar Bugti’s BLA is also getting help from Iran. Local sources in Dera Bugti claim that free of cost oil is coming from Iran, which is an important source of income. This is not confirmed through independent sources.

According to a report in the Urdu daily Ummat of Karachi ( 7 January 2006), the Pakistani government claims to have detected the existence of 85 militants camps in Balochistan which are known as Ferari camps. Nawab Bugti’s BLA militants camps are located in Bector, Peakal, Moriange, Sialkot, Bambore, and Beckal.

Bugti BLA is also getting help from Indian as mentioned earlier a former member of Balochistan Assembly, Arjun Das is a link between Bugti and Raw.

Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF)

Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) was founded by Sardar Attaullah Mengal. His son Jawed Mengal is the chief commander. BLA of Marries and BLF are inter-linked and they assisted each other’s joint ventures in many cases. Pakistani intelligence agencies believe that Washington is backing BLF as Attaullah Mengal backs American polices in Afghanistan and against Iran. BLF is an anti-Punjab militia and uses the term ‘settlers’ for those Punjabis who are living in Balochistan. According to BLF, ‘settlers’ are those non-Baloch’s who came to Balochistan from Sindh and Punjab after 1970.