Who they are

Balochistan Liberation Army is a militant organization carrying out violent activities in the Balochistan province against the Pakistan army with the intention of gaining independence from Pakistan. According to available information, it is headed by Nawabzada Hyrbyair Marri who is residing in London for a long time.[7] The organization is involved in various attacks on police and security forces including the kidnapping and killing of police personnel on July 30, 2009.[8] During the current unrest in Balochistan, the group has started engaging the security forces in Balochistan. The organization carried out an attack on former President General Pervez Musharraf in 2005 while he was visiting a paramilitary camp in Kohlu.[9] It has also carried out attacks on security forces and police personnel.[10]

History

As per the available information, there is no reliable data on the group’s formation. The group is assumed to be built around core of Baloch Student organization. Most of the available information is related to its activities and the profile of its leader Hyrbyair Marri.

Organization’s Message

The outfit propagates violent means for liberation of Balochistan and denounces any inclusion with the democratic framework within the Pakistani state.

Target Audience      

There is no specific information regarding the targeted audience.

Tools

The following tools are utilized by the outfit.

Print Media

 Not Available

 Publications

 Not Available

 Audio/Video:

 Not Available

Social Media:

Facebook: The organization also has Facebook pages to promote its activities.

Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/balochliberation.

Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/HyrbyairMarri

Retrieved from: https://twitter.com/hyrbyair

Splinter Groups:

United Baloch Army (UBA) is a splinter group of the BLA.[11]

Annexure

Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF)

Balochistan Liberation Front is a militant organization carrying out violent activities in Balochistan province against the security forces, with the intention to gain independence from Pakistan. It is headed by Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch, while its spokesmen are Basham Baloch and Gohram Baloch. The group is averse to joining mainstream politics and also demands that political parties should also boycott Pakistani politics. The outfit is involved in various attacks on security forces, including the assault on coastguard check post in Gwadar during July, 2013.[12]

Baloch Students Organization (BSO)

The Baloch Student Organization-Azad is one of the most popular student groups who are currently active in Balochistan and are fighting for the independence of their province from Pakistan.[13] The group is now banned by the government.[14]

Khair Bakhsh Marri

Khair Bakhsh Marri was a Baloch nationalist from Balochistan and was famous among fellow Baloch insurgents. He participated in 1979 Baloch insurgency and remained in exile in Afghanistan. He returned after the collapse of the left wing regime in Kabul. He was also a leader of BLA.[15]

United Baloch Army (UBA)

UBA, an underground militant organization, emerged as a result of a rift between Mehran Marri and Hyrbyair Marri. It is also a Baloch nationalist group, operating in the whole province of Balochistan.s UBA was involved in the train bombing of April 2014 in Sibi.[16]