Narrative
Narrative of the Organization's History
Narrative of the Organization's History
Leadership, Name Changes, Size Estimates, Resources, Geographic Locations
Ideology, Aims, Political Activities, Targets, and Tactics
First Attacks, Largest Attacks, Notable Attacks
Foreign Designations and Listings, Community Relations, Relations with Other Groups, State Sponsors and External Influences
Mapping relationships with other militant groups over time in regional maps
The BLA seeks greater regional autonomy of Balochistan from Pakistan. The group believes that the foundation that Pakistan was built on – that all Muslims are created equal – is wrong. Instead, ethnic identity should take precedence over religious identity.[41] Specifically, the BLA fight to protect the Baloch people, an ethnic group that comprises the majority of the population in Balochistan.[42]
The group seeks to rid Balochistan of foreign influence, specifically from the Chinese and Pakistani government. BLA command has stated that foreign governments have stripped Balochistan of natural resources in an attempt to get rid of Baloch identity. Further, the BLA believes that the central government of Pakistan inequitably distributes the profits from these natural resources and prioritizes the employment of Punjabis.
While the BLA has no formal political organization, it garners sympathy and occasionally open support from many Balochi political parties including the National Party and the Students Organization.[43]
The BLA has used a variety of tactics to achieve its goal of gaining greater regional autonomy. These tactics include car bombs, mortar strikes, rocket strikes, IEDs, landmines, grenades, kidnappings, and small-arms attacks. The BLA largely targets Pakistani government affiliates and interests, including natural gas pipelines, oil fields, civilian and soldiers working for the government. [44] Additionally, the group has encouraged and engaged in ethnic cleansing against Balochistan residents with Punjabi heritage and ties.[45] The BLA also utilizes social media to share nationalist propaganda and further disseminate its message.
Disclaimer: These are some selected major attacks in the militant organization's history. It is not a comprehensive listing but captures some of the most famous attacks or turning points during the campaign.
July 22, 2000: The BLA claimed responsibility for a bomb that was placed in a market in Quetta, Balochistan (7 killed, 25 wounded).[46]
May 2003: The BLA carried out a string of attacks, killing police and non-native Baloch residents (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[47]
Summer 2004: The BLA attacked Chinese foreign-workers involved with the Pakistani government’s mega-development projects (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[48]
December 14, 2005: BLA combatants launched six rockets at a paramilitary camp in Kohlu that then-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was visiting. Though Musharraf was unharmed, the Pakistani government labeled the attack an attempt on his life and initiated a sweeping army operation in retaliation (0 killed, 0 wounded).[49]
April 19, 2009: Alleged BLA leader Brahamdagh Khan Bugti called for Baloch natives to kill non-native residents of Balochistan. The BLA claims that these attacks took the lives of about 500 Punjabis (unknown killed, unknown wounded).[50]
June 14, 2009: Masked BLA gunmen shot dead Anwar Baig, a schoolteacher in Kalat who had opposed the recitation of the Baloch anthem in schools. This killing was part of a larger campaign against educators who were seen to be sympathetic to the Pakistani state (1 killed, 0 wounded).[51]
July 30, 2009: BLA attackers kidnapped 19 Pakistani police personnel in Sui. In addition to the kidnapped personnel, BLA militants also killed 1 police officer and injured 16. Over the course of three weeks, the BLA’s captors killed all but one of the kidnapped policemen (19 killed, 16 wounded).[52]
November 22, 2011: BLA insurgents attacked government security personnel who were guarding a private coal mine in the northern Musakhel district (14 killed, 10 wounded).[53]
December 31, 2011: BLA militants placed a car bomb outside the house of a former minister of state, Mir Naseer Mengal (13 killed, 30 wounded).[54]
June 13, 2013: BLA militants claimed responsibility for a rocket attack and raid on the summer home of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. The Pakistan flag had also been replaced by a BLA flag on the property (1 killed, 0 wounded).[55]
June 30, 2015: BLA militants attacked the United Baloch Army’s Karam Khan Camp in the Peer Masori area (20 killed, 0 wounded).[56]
May 13, 2017: BLA militants on motorbikes opened fire on construction workers in Gwadar, Balochistan (10 killed, unknown wounded).[57]
August 14, 2017: BLA militants claimed responsibility for an IED attack in Harnai, Balochistan. The attack was directed at members of the Frontier Corps, a Pakistani paramilitary border force (8 killed, 0 wounded).[58]
November 23, 2018: BLA militants attempted to storm the Chinese consulate in Karachi (7 killed, unknown wounded).[59]
The groups behavior was described as terrorism by the U.S. Department of State on April 30, 2007. [62] However, the group has not been officially designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Government.
There is significant support in Balochistan for an independent Baloch state.[63] As a result, the ethnonationalist groups in Balochistan receive support from the local population. While the majority of Balochistan residents distance themselves publicly from the BLA, sympathizers and supporters can be found throughout the community.[64].Although some residents find BLA tactics distasteful, others feel that the BLA and similar organizations are fighting for their interests.[65]
The majority of the BLA leadership is comprised of the Marri and Bugti tribes. These two tribes hold significant political power in Balochistan and disseminate nationalist views that are in line with some BLA sentiments.[66] Some BLA leaders have been known to hold political office in Balochistan.
The BLA is one of multiple insurgent groups fighting for the autonomy of Balochistan province. The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), the Balochistan Republican Army (BRA), Lashkar-e-Balochistan (LeB), and the Jhalawan Baloch Tiger are also active in the region. The BLA and BLF are the strongest and most influential militant groups operating in Balochistan.[67] There has been no confirmed coordination between the BLA and other Baloch or non-Baloch groups. Some groups’ leaders have claimed that the different militant organizations operating in Balochistan have almost identical goals but operate independently of one another.[68]
While the BLA has not actively cooperated with other militant organizations, individual members have gone on to establish other groups. Alleged BLA leader, Brahamdagh Khan Bugti, reportedly led the BLA for several years until he left to help form the Balochistan Liberation Front.[69] In addition, following the death of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri in June 2014, a leadership dispute among Bakhsh Marri’s sons led some to leave the organization and form the United Baloch Army (UBA). It is unknown which brothers were involved with which of the two groups.[70] As of November 2016, the two groups were still fighting one another as the BLA pushed to eliminate the UBA.[71]
Pakistani intelligence agencies accuse Indian consulates in Kandahar and Jalalabad, Afghanistan, of providing covert arms, financial support, and training to the BLA in an attempt to destabilize Pakistan and block Chinese influence in Balochistan.[72] However, some analysts argue that such interference would be against Indian interests, as India, like Pakistan, also seeks to profit from Balochi oil and gas resources.[73]
Pakistani politicians have also claimed that U.S. and British intelligence agencies are supporting the Balochi rebellion in order to sabotage a proposed oil pipeline that could undermine U.S. control of Gulf oil.[74] The U.K. has harbored Hyrbyair Marri, an alleged BLA leader by the Pakistani government, as a refugee.[75]
The Pakistani government launched a program in 2017 that provided compensation for militants that surrendered to authorities. In this program, the government agreed to provide compensation, jobs, education and security to members of certain banned organizations including the BLA.[76]
[1] Global Terrorism Database, Incident #200007220002. 11 April 2012
[2] Desk, News. “Terrorist Organisation BLA Responds over Media Reports of Death of Commander Aslam Achu in Afghanistan.” Times of Islamabad, Times of Islamabad, 26 Dec. 2018, timesofislamabad.com/27-Dec-2018/terrorist-organisation-bla-responds-over-media-reports-of-death-of-commander-aslam-achu-in-afghanistan.
[3] Gates, Scott, and Kaushik Roy. "Balochistan." Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency. 2011. 199. Print; "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015; Akbar, Malik. "The End of Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 8 July 2015.
[4] “Profile: Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).” WorldWideConflicts, 17 Apr. 2013, worldwideconflicts.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/profile-balochistan-liberation-army-bla/.
[5] Gates, Scott, and Kaushik Roy. "Balochistan." Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency. 2011. 199. Print; "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[6] Akbar, Malik Siraj. “The End of Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency?” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 3 Jan. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/malik-siraj-akbar/the-end-of-pakistans-balo_b_609....
[7] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[8] Gates, Scott, and Kaushik Roy. "Balochistan." Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency. 2011. 199. Print; "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015; "Pakistan's Unending Battle over Balochistan." - Al Jazeera English. 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 June 2015; Hasan, Syed. "Top Baloch Rebel Leader 'Killed'" BBC News. BBC, 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 28 July 2015; Hasan, Syed. "Top Baloch Rebel Leader 'Killed'" BBC News. BBC, 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 28 July2015; Adeel Khan, “Renewed Ethnonationalist Insurgency in Balochistan, Pakistan: The Militarized State and Continuing Economic Depravation,” Asian Survey 49 (2009):1078
[9] Global Terrorism Database, Incident #200007220002. 11 April 2012
[10] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[11] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015; Grare, Frederic “The Resurgence of Baluch Nationalism,” working paper in, “Pakistan: The State of the Union,” Center for International Policy, April 2009, 52.
[12] {Hasan, Syed. "Top Baloch Rebel Leader 'Killed'" BBC News. BBC, 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 28 July 2015.
[13] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[14] Hasan, Syed. "Top Baloch Rebel Leader 'Killed'" BBC News. BBC, 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 28 July 2015; "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015; Hasan, Syed. "Top Baloch Rebel Leader 'Killed'" BBC News. BBC, 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 28 July 2015.
[15] Hasan, Syed. "Top Baloch Rebel Leader 'Killed'" BBC News. BBC, 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 28 July 2015; "Profile: Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti." - Al Jazeera English. Web. 23 June 2015; "Bugti Killed in Operation: Six Officers among 21 Security Personnel Dead." - Newspaper. 27 Aug. 2006. Web. 24 June 2015; "Baloch Nationalist Leader Khair Bakhsh Marri Passes Away." - Pakistan. 11 June 2014. Web. 25 June 2015.
[16] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[17] Adeel Khan, “Renewed Ethnonationalist Insurgency in Balochistan, Pakistan: The Militarized State and Continuing Economic Depravation,” Asian Survey 49 (2009):1078
[18] "Malik Siraj Akbar - BLA." Malik Siraj Akbar. Web. 3 July 2015; "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[19] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[20] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[21] “Pakistani coal and gas fields hit by militants,” Jane’s Intelligence Weekly, November 22, 2011. “Separatist Group Claims Responsibility for Blast in Pakistan’s Quetta City,” Dawn, December 31, 2011; "Testimony of Ali Dayan Hasan before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding Human Rights in Balochistan (Human Rights Watch)." Web. 8 Feb. 2012
[22] "BLA Claims Attack on Jinnah Residency in Ziarat - The Express Tribune." The Express Tribune BLA Claims Attack on Jinnah Residency in Ziarat Comments. 14 June 2013. Web. 25 June 2015.
[23] Akbar, Malik. "The End of Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 8 July 2015.
[24] Akbar, Malik Siraj. “The End of Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency?” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 3 Jan. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/malik-siraj-akbar/the-end-of-pakistans-balo_b_609....
[25] Shahid, Saleem. “500 Baloch Militants Surrender, Abandon Armed Struggle.” DAWN.COM, 22 Apr. 2017, www.dawn.com/news/1328539
[26] McKirdy, Euan. “Four Killed in Thwarted Raid on Chinese Consulate in Karachi.” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Nov. 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/11/23/asia/karachi-chinese-consulate-attack-intl/index.html; Ali, Imtiaz. “Baloch Separatist Leader Harbiyar Marri among 13 Booked for Chinese Consulate Attack.” DAWN.COM, 7 Dec. 2018, www.dawn.com/news/1447419/.
[27] "Profile: Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti." - Al Jazeera English. Web. 23 June 2015.
[28] Hasan, Syed. "Top Baloch Rebel Leader 'Killed'" BBC News. BBC, 21 Nov. 2007. Web. 28 July 2015; "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[29] Akbar, Malik. "The End of Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 8 July 2015; "Baloch Nationalist Leader Khair Bakhsh Marri Passes Away." - Pakistan. 11 June 2014. Web. 2 July 2015.
[30] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[31] "Five Baloch Militants Killed in Gunfights - The Express Tribune." The Express Tribune Five Baloch Militants Killed in Gunfights Comments. 5 July 2015. Web. 5 July 2015.
[32] Desk, News. “Terrorist Organisation BLA Responds over Media Reports of Death of Commander Aslam Achu in Afghanistan.” Times of Islamabad, Times of Islamabad, 26 Dec. 2018, timesofislamabad.com/27-Dec-2018/terrorist-organisation-bla-responds-over-media-reports-of-death-of-commander-aslam-achu-in-afghanistan.
[33] "Balochistan Liberation Army". Violent Extremism Knowledge Base. Institute for the Study of Violent Groups.
[34] Gates, Scott, and Kaushik Roy. "Balochistan." Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency. 2011. 199. Print.
[35] “Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan,” International Crisis Group, 14 September 2006.
[36] “Robert G. Wirsing, Baloch Nationalism and the Geopolitics of Energy Resources: The Changing Context of Separatism in Pakistan,” Strategic Studies Institute, April 2008.
[37] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[38] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[39] Adeel Khan, “Renewed Ethnonationalist Insurgency in Balochistan, Pakistan: The Militarized State and Continuing Economic Depravation,” Asian Survey 49 (2009):1078
[40] Grare, Frederic “The Resurgence of Baluch Nationalism,” working paper in, “Pakistan: The State of the Union,” Center for International Policy, April 2009, 52.
[41] "Baloch Nationalism Its Origin and Development." BalochWarna.org. Web. 26 June 2015.
[42] Aamir, Adnan. “No Major Change in Ethnic Balance of Balochistan: Census Data Analysis Proves.” Balochistan Voices, September 2, 2017. http://balochistanvoices.com/2017/09/no-major-change-ethnic-balance-balo...
[43] “Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan,” International Crisis Group, 14 September 2006
[44] {{"Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015; John C. K. Daly, “The Baloch Insurgency and its Threat to Pakistan’s Energy Sector,” Terrorism Focus 3 (2006). 29 March 2012
[45] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[46] Global Terrorism Database, Incident #200007220002. 11 April 2012
[47] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015; Grare, Frederic “The Resurgence of Baluch Nationalism,” working paper in, “Pakistan: The State of the Union,” Center for International Policy, April 2009, 52.
[48] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015; Grare, Frederic “The Resurgence of Baluch Nationalism,” working paper in, “Pakistan: The State of the Union,” Center for International Policy, April 2009, 52.
[49] Daly, John C. K. “The Baloch Insurgency and its Threat to Pakistan’s Energy Sector,” Terrorism Focus 3 (2006).
[50] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[51] "Testimony of Ali Dayan Hasan before the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs regarding Human Rights in Balochistan (Human Rights Watch)." Web. 8 Feb. 2012
[52] Global Terrorism Database, Incident Summary #200907300006.
[53] “Pakistani coal and gas fields hit by militants,” Jane’s Intelligence Weekly, November 22, 2011.
[54] “Separatist Group Claims Responsibility for Blast in Pakistan’s Quetta City,” Dawn, December 31, 2011.
[55] “BLA Claims Attack on Jinnah Residency in Ziarat - The Express Tribune." The Express Tribune BLA Claims Attack on Jinnah Residency in Ziarat Comments. 14 June 2013. Web. 25 June 2015.
[56] "Up to 20 Killed in Clashes between Separatist Groups in Dera Bugti - The Express Tribune." The Express Tribune Up to 20 Killed in Clashes between Separatist Groups in Dera Bugti Comments. 29 June 2015. Web. 3 July 2015.
[57] Jazeera, Al. “Gunmen Kill 10 Labourers in Balochistan's Gwadar.” GCC News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 13 May 2017, www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/gunmen-kill-10-labourers-balochistan-gwad....
[58] Zafar, Mohammad. “Harnai Blast: Death Toll Rises to Eight.” The Express Tribune, The Express Tribune, 16 Aug. 2017, tribune.com.pk/story/1482509/harnai-blast-death-toll-rises-eight/.
[59] McKirdy, Euan. “Four Killed in Thwarted Raid on Chinese Consulate in Karachi.” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Nov. 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/11/23/asia/karachi-chinese-consulate-attack-intl/index.html; Ali, Imtiaz. “Baloch Separatist Leader Harbiyar Marri among 13 Booked for Chinese Consulate Attack.” DAWN.COM, 7 Dec. 2018, www.dawn.com/news/1447419/.
[60] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[61] "Terrorist Organization Profile - START - National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism". Start.umd.edu.
[62] “Chapter 2 – Country Reports: South and Central Asia Overview”. Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. April 30, 2007.
[63] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015.
[64] “Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan,” International Crisis Group, 14 September 2006
[65] “Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan,” International Crisis Group, 14 September 2006.
[66] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015; “Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan,” International Crisis Group, 14 September 2006; "Profile: Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti." - Al Jazeera English. Web. 23 June 2015.
[67] Gates, Scott, and Kaushik Roy. "Balochistan." Unconventional Warfare in South Asia: Shadow Warriors and Counterinsurgency. 2011. 199. Print.
[68] “Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan,” International Crisis Group, 14 September 2006.
[69] "Balochistan Liberation Army." The National Baloch Media RSS. Web. 2 July 2015
[70] Akbar, Malik. "The End of Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 8 July 2015.
[71] "Up to 20 Killed in Clashes between Separatist Groups in Dera Bugti - The Express Tribune." The Express Tribune Up to 20 Killed in Clashes between Separatist Groups in Dera Bugti Comments. 29 June 2015. Web. 3 July 2015.
[72] “Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan,” International Crisis Group, 14 September 2006.
[73] “Robert G. Wirsing, Baloch Nationalism and the Geopolitics of Energy Resources: The Changing Context of Separatism in Pakistan,” Strategic Studies Institute, April 2008.
[74] “Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan,” International Crisis Group, 14 September 2006.
[75] Yousef, Kamran. “Army Chief in London: UK Urged to Act against HuT, Baloch Separatists.” The Express Tribune, The Express Tribune, 15 Jan. 2015, tribune.com.pk/story/822083/army-chief-in-london-uk-urged-to-act-against-hut-baloch-separatists/.
[76] Shahid, Saleem. “500 Baloch Militants Surrender, Abandon Armed Struggle.” DAWN.COM, 22 Apr. 2017, www.dawn.com/news/1328539.