Islamabad, Dec 20 (EFE).- A senior commander of the banned militant group Baloch National Army on Wednesday announced his surrender to law enforcement agencies along with 70 of his associates.
Sarfraz Ahmed Bungulzai, addressing a press conference in Balochistan’s provincial capital of Quetta with provincial Information Minister Jan Achakzai, said his armed struggle was for securing the rights of the Baloch people but later realized that the blood of his people was being sacrificed for the interests of the enemies of Pakistan.
“India is involved in all these conspiracies […]. Keeping in mind all this, we have decided to join the national mainstream,” Bungulzai claimed, adding that “me and 70 of my associates have joined the national mainstream.”
Referring to last year’s helicopter crash in which six Pakistan army officials, including a general, were killed, the Baloch rebel said that the crash had occurred due to a technical fault but a Baloch insurgent group known as Balochistan Raaji Ajoi-R-Sangar (BRAS) had claimed responsibility on India’s command.
He further urged the youth to follow suit and renounce violence in the poverty-stricken province. “My advice to parents is to give your children an education, not guns.”
The former Baloch commander, while thanking the state of Pakistan for welcoming him and his associates, also urged the government to create a path for others who wished to follow his footsteps and give up violence.
He claimed that there were many others who were waiting to be accepted by the state.
In April, Pakistani military said that security forces arrested Gulzar Imam alias Shambay, the founder of the BNA in an intelligence-based operation.
The BNA was formed after the amalgamation of the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and United Baloch Army (UBA) last year.
The army said the capture of Shambay was a “serious blow” to the insurgency movement in the mineral- and gas-rich region of Balochistan.
He had later offered to help the government and security forces negotiate with disgruntled Baloch militants.
“The path I had chosen for achieving the rights of the people of Balochistan was not the right decision,” he was quoted as saying in a statement.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar welcomed the latest development saying peace and stability was the government’s top priority.
“The surrender of Sarfraz Bungulzai along with his companions/families is a very welcome development for Pakistan and Balochistan,” the premier said in a statement on X.
Restive Balochistan province has been witnessing decades-long insurgency seeking autonomy from Islamabad.
Baloch nationalists fight for control of the province’s natural gas and mineral resources, and blame the federal government for unfairly exploiting them to benefit other parts of the country.
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