Union: How Baluchistan Liberation Army united the elite (three)
3.Recent developments of Baluchistan Liberation Army
（1） Attract some of the middle class who are inclined to be independent
The transformation of Baluchistan Liberation Army in recent years is closely related to the existence of Aslam Balochistan.
At that time, he was a member of the Baluchistan bakhir, who was a member of the Baluchistan high school,And in the name of HAQ tawar (voice of rights), we have launched a “study circles” knowledge popularization campaign.In 1994, Aslam Balochistan, who was only 19 years old, joined the armed struggle of the “Balochistan independence movement”, and played an important role in establishing the “Balochistan Liberation Army” and expanding the team in Balochistan province in 1995[1]。
The important thing about Aslam Balochistan is that he does not belong to a powerful tribe and has no influential political background. He relies more on his own charm to win support in the “Baluchistan Liberation Army”. This is very important for the Balochistan Liberation Army to get rid of the limitations of tribal struggle.In 2014,As the Pakistani government intensified its crackdown on the separatist forces of Baluchistan, some Baluchistan leaders began to seriously consider their own tribal prospects. At the same time, the appeal of the members of the exiled Baluchistan radical organizations declined, and their dominance of the organization gradually fell into the hands of the leaders of the practical faction.
Since 2007, Baluchistan Liberation Army, the alliance of Baluchistan liberation organizations (BLA, BLF) and other organizations have frequently launched indiscriminate attacks against Pakistan’s security forces, civilians, journalists and government officials, so as to increase their social deterrence and influence.From the content of the report of the Baluchistan post in 2020 and its image description of the leaders of the organization, we can see that,The organization is deliberately downplaying the extremist image of the Baluchistan armed group. By giving the organization and its important members such good moral characteristics as “democracy and equality, fairness and justice, advocating knowledge and principles, loving peace and striving for independence”, the organization advocates nationalism in pursuit of independence and rights, and caters to the political demands of the bottom and middle class of Pakistan,In order to counter the Pakistan government’s religious assimilation policy, at the same time actively attract and strive for more people at the bottom and middle levels to stand on their common front.
（2） Strengthen publicity
In February 2019, the leader of Baluchistan Liberation Army, Bashir ZEB, took office and publicly claimed that the Pakistani government was carrying out “genocide” against the Baluchistan people, and thousands of Baluchistan political activists and intellectuals were arrested or killed by Pakistani security agencies for espionage.The purpose of this speech is to further intensify the rift between the government and the people in terms of “racial discrimination” and “regional division”, and at the same time to give the majority of Balochistan youth a “hopeless future”, and further call on the Baluchistan youth to revolt.In addition, Bashir also called on the United States, India, the European Union and other international communities to pay attention to the so-called “genocide”.[2]
At the same time, in recent years, some activists of “human rights, equality and peaceful protest” are also trying to alienate the feelings between Baluchistan students and the mainstream society of Pakistan.From social media platforms such as twitter, a large number of so-called “Baluchistan students have been harassed and detained by the government for unknown reasons” have emerged in endlessly.then,Various news and protests on the topics of “release XXX” and “stop harassing Baloch students” occurred frequently.
In addition, “Baluchistan Liberation Army” has been actively adjusting its “operational purpose and objectives” and the corresponding publicity methods.Since 2019, the Baluchistan Liberation Army (Balochistan Liberation Army) has defined its attacks as “a movement to liberate the motherland and liberate the Balochistan nation”, and the corresponding propaganda methods have also changed,When they announce responsibility for the attack in the official platform, they often publish the photos of the members who died in the attack and their brief life information. At the same time, we media matrix is used to enhance the publicity effect.
On February 2, 2022, after carrying out an attack called operation ganjal, the Majid brigade of the Baluchistan Liberation Army (Baluchistan Liberation Army) issued an announcement on its official social platform to further indicate the purpose and purpose of the operation: “the goal of the campaign is to show Pakistan and the world the military capabilities of the Baluchistan resistance movement,The liberation of Baluchistan youth can be realized in any degree. “
After the terrorist attack on the Confucius Institute of Karachi University on April 26, 2022, the Baluchistan Liberation Army prepared propaganda channels, prepared relevant contents before the attack, released claim information at the first time, and enhanced the publicity effect through we media matrix with the help of telegram, twitter and other channels.
In recent years, the Baluchistan political parties have been losing their voice in the local area. The extensive law enforcement of the Pakistan government and the intensification of the contradictions brought about by the economic downturn have further exacerbated the social unrest. Some Baluchistan separatists have doubts about the effect of moderate resistance measures. In this environment, the Baluchistan liberation army takes advantage of the dissatisfaction and disappointment of the local elite,To create a positive image for the Baluchistan people to fight for power, and further attract radical higher intellectuals to join the organization.
Thanks to the propaganda strategy of the Baluchistan Liberation Army, some public groups have begun to believe in the declared goals and purposes of the activities of the Baluchistan Liberation Army and a series of armed groups. They believe that if Pakistan can communicate in a peaceful and negotiated way, it will bring more disasters if Pakistan continues to suppress these armed groups in a tough way.In this way, the public opinion thinks that the responsibility for the follow-up issues itself will shift to the Pakistan government, not to the Baluchistan Liberation Army itself.
（3） Recruit more radical members from Baluchistan student organizations
In recent years, armed organizations such as the Baluchistan Liberation Army have joined forces with some so-called political and social activists and student organizations in Pakistan to absorb more Baluchistan youth and further destabilize Pakistan’s social security.
Take BSO Azad, a student organization in Balochistan, as an example. In March 2013, BSO Azad was identified as a terrorist organization by the “National Counter Terrorism agency of Pakistan” (NACTA) and banned all activities. Subsequently, some members of the organization registered with a “Baloch students action committee” and continued to exist and operate in various universities in Pakistan.
As “activists” or “NGO members”, members of the “Action Committee for Balochistan students” will actively solicit some students with emotional problems or criminal tendencies, guide them step by step into their organizations and daily activities, and then wait for the opportunity to send them to the barracks of Baluchistan Liberation Army for terrorist training.
At the same time, after 3 months of training, students will be trained to attack, set up and deal with terrorist devices at home, and then they will go back to school for 6 monthsOn the one hand, as an activist of human rights organizations, he conducted relevant thoughts and opinions to student organizations in Colleges and universities, and participated in recruiting more Baluchistan youth;On the other hand, through participating in designated terrorist attacks, we will continue to train our military skills.
The following two cases can prove the above argument.Aftab Yousaf Baloch, a student at Lahore University and PMAs Arid Agricultural University, is a member of BSC Islamabad, the twin organization of the Balochistan student Action Committee.He is currently vice chairman,He is also the leader of the Zahir online volunteer group in his hometown of Khuzdar.
Afutab has been using his public image to spread separatist ideas and portrayed the Baluchistan group as a victim of oppression and discrimination by the Pakistani government.In addition to student leaders, afuta is also a member of the Baluchistan Liberation Army (Baluchistan) and participated in the attack on May 31, 2021 against the 129 unit of the Pakistan border guard army in Mount Bolan,Four Pakistani border officers and soldiers were killed and eight wounded. Afutab was killed in the attack.
The second example is Shah DAAD Mumtaz Baloch, who studied in a public university and had the opportunity to further his studies at Jenna University in Islamabad. The state even awarded him a scholarship to obtain a master’s degree.
According to the official announcement of Baluchistan Liberation Army, shahad joined the Baluchistan student organization, BSO Azad, in 2014 as an undergraduate at attashad degree college in Turbat.In 2015, shahad joined the kech grammar school in Turbat as a teacher,At the same time, he worked for the “Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Lahore” as a human rights activist, and began to participate in the training of the Baluchistan Liberation Army in secret.
In 2017, shahad went to Jenna University in Islamabad to pursue his master’s degree and took part in campus struggle and strike organization.After graduating from Jenna University, shahad was hired as a researcher at the Pakistan National Institute and invited by the Karachi University Branch of the “Baluchistan student action committee” on January 7, 2020,I went to give a public speech on the theme of “cultural hegemony” for the students of the school.
On May 2, 2020, when the Baluchistan Liberation Army announced on its official media platform that it was responsible for a terrorist attack against the Pakistani military, it declared that shahad was killed in the attack.In addition, it is clearly mentioned in the announcement that shaad and his partner, ihsanbalochistan, have joined the organization for more than a year,And work as a member of the organization.
（4） Strengthen organizational construction and strengthen cooperation with other organizations
In recent years, the Baluchistan Liberation Army has made contact with Pakistani Taliban, Iranian resistance movement, Baluchistan United Army and other organizations by taking advantage of ideology, regional advantages and changes in the situation, and has achieved certain results.
From the perspective of separatist organizations in the Balochistan region, in recent years, the Balochistan Liberation Army is actively uniting other armed groups in the region.In 2018, as the United States began to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, with the efforts of Baluchistan separatist activists, Baluchistan formed an alliance with the Baluchistan liberation front and the Bashir zebu faction of the Baluchistan Republican Army to form the BARS,In 2022, the United Baluchistan army and the Republic Army of Balochistan also formed an alliance, establishing the joint military force, the Baluchistan National Army (BNA).They also jointly attacked vehicles of local gas and oil exploration companies in the peerwari area, indicating that substantive cooperation has begun.
In terms of external organization cooperation, the Baluchistan Liberation Army has a clear cooperative relationship with Bata. According to the report of Radio Free Europe on May 18, 2021, a local researcher (anonymous) who was allowed to visit the training camp of the “Pakistan Taliban” (TTP) in the South Waziristan tribal area said that the Pakistani Taliban had joined hands with the Baluchistan separatist organization.Bata provided military training for Baluchistan soldiers.Accordingly, Baluchistan separatist organizations need to assist Bata in logistics work in Balochistan province.
In practical cooperation, the two sides share training camps and learn from each other’s tactics. Bata will also provide training for Baltar.Since 2021, balun has changed its attack mode, attacking barracks and military headquarters on a large scale on the basis of attacking patrol teams, which shows that the organization is learning from Bata’s related operations and applying them to actual combat.In February 2022,BNP successively attacked the headquarters of the Pakistan border army in Panjgur and noshki towns, resulting in the death of several Pakistani soldiers[3]。
Thanks to the chaos of the situation in Afghanistan and the support of individual organizations, Baluchistan Liberation Army has advanced equipment such as night vision devices, which has certain technical advantages in fighting against ordinary Pakistani forces.
[1] Note: the Baluchistan Liberation Armywas organized underground from 1995 to 2000 and was officially founded in 2000.
[2]https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/baloch-commander-vows-to-resist-pakistani-subjugation-till-end-of-life20190219073010/
[3] https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/the-rise-of-the-new-pakistani-taliban/31261608.html
The transformation of Baluchistan Liberation Army in recent years is closely related to the existence of Aslam Balochistan.