Pakistan's military has arrested a high-value target in an operation against the Baloch insurgent group in the country’s southwest
Gulzar Imam, also known as Shambay, is the militant founder and leader of the outlawed Baloch Nationalist Army, the military statement said. An umbrella group for Baloch insurgents, the BNA was formed after the merger of two main insurgent groups: the Baloch Republican Army and the United Baloch Army.
The military said the BNA has been involved in dozens of terrorist attacks in the country, including attacks on security forces.
The army's media wing said Shambe's visits to India and Afghanistan were on record and his suspected links with enemy intelligence agencies were being investigated. The military said the arrest was made possible after a month of intelligence efforts but did not provide further details.
The gas-rich southwestern province of Balochistan, on the border of Afghanistan and Iran, has been the scene of a grassroots insurgency by Baloch nationalists for more than two decades. Baloch nationalists initially wanted a share of provincial resources, but later launched an insurgency for independence.
