ISLAMABAD: Pakistan top intelligence agency arrested a high-value target in an operation against a Baloch insurgent group in the country's southwest, the army said Friday.
The military statement said Gulzar Imam, also known by the name Shambay, is the militant founder and leader of the banned Baloch Nationalist Army. An umbrella group for Baloch insurgents, the BNA was formed after two main insurgent groups merged: The Baloch Republican Army and United Baloch Army.
The army said BNA had been involved in dozens of terrorist attacks in the country, including those on security forces.
The military’s media wing said that Shambay's visits to India and Afghanistan were on record and his suspected links with hostile intelligence agencies are being investigated. The military said the arrest was made possible after a monthslong intelligence effort, but did not provide further details.
The gas-rich southwestern Balochistan province at the border of Afghanistan and Iran has been a scene of low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists for more than two decades. Baloch nationalists initially wanted a share from the provincial resources, but later they initiated an insurgency for independence.
In 'serious blow' to decades-old separatist insurgency, Pakistan arrests founder of Balochistan National Army
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In 'serious blow' to decades-old separatist insurgency, Pakistan arrests founder of Balochistan National Army
- Military statement says Gulzar Imam, known as Shambay, is militant founder and leader of Baloch Nationalist Army
- Says Shambay's visits to India and Afghanistan on record, links with hostile intel agencies being investigated
Bodies of Pakistani nationals who died attempting illegal migration repatriated from Iran
- Pakistan’s envoy in Tehran warns youth against human smugglers after deaths in harsh weather
- Pakistan reported sharp fall in illegal migration to Europe this year amid nationwide crackdown
ISLAMABAD: The bodies of two Pakistani nationals, who died near the Iran-Türkiye border after attempting to travel illegally to Europe, have been repatriated to the country, said a senior diplomat on Tuesday, reiterating warnings against human smugglers amid an intensified crackdown by authorities in Islamabad on illegal migration.
Pakistan says it has stepped up action against illegal immigration and human trafficking in recent years, reporting a 47% drop in illegal migration to Europe this year and the arrest of more than 1,700 suspected human smugglers, according to official figures.
However, people continue to attempt dangerous irregular journeys in search of work and better economic opportunities abroad.
“The mortal remains of Pakistani nationals Mr. Armanullah s/o Gul Rahman and Mr. Ihtasham s/o Mukhtar Gul, both residents of Nowshera, have been repatriated to Pakistan through Taftan border earlier today,” Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Mudassir Tipu, said in a post on social media platform X. “Both had fallen victim to the greed of human smugglers and lost their lives in extremely harsh weather conditions near Iran’s border with Turkiye.”
“I once again request the youth back home not to be trapped by human smugglers and instead follow the legal path to travel abroad,” he added, thanking the government of the Balochistan province in Pakistan for arranging the transportation of the bodies and offering condolences to the victims’ families.
The issue illegal immigration has drawn heightened scrutiny since 2023, when hundreds of people, including Pakistani nationals, died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in an overcrowded vessel that sank off the Greek coast, prompting Islamabad to launch nationwide investigations into human smuggling and trafficking networks.
Authorities have since arrested Pakistani and foreign nationals at airports with forged travel documents, highlighting the scale of document fraud linked to illegal departures.
In September, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) released a list of more than 100 of Pakistan’s “most wanted” human smugglers and identified major trafficking hubs across Punjab province and the capital, Islamabad.
Earlier this month, Pakistan announced plans to roll out an artificial intelligence-based immigration screening system at Islamabad airport from January, aimed at detecting forged documents and preventing illegal travel abroad, as part of broader efforts to curb human smuggling and unauthorized migration.
