ISLAMABAD: Former militant commander Gulzar Imam Shambay, once a key leader of a banned outfit, has disclosed that the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and allied groups relied heavily on Indian support and drug trafficking to fund their armed struggle in Balochistan.
In an exclusive interview with ARY News, Shambay accused veteran militant leader Ghaffar Lango of joining Khair Bakhsh Marri after the collapse of Dr. Najib’s government in Afghanistan, before shifting towards violent insurgency in Balochistan’s mountains. He said this trend reflected a broader pattern, where the BLA and similar outfits “could not deny” receiving Indian assistance.
Quoting nationalist figure Ataullah Mengal, Shambay recalled the statement: “Even if the devil offers help against Pakistan, take it.” He claimed this mindset drove militant factions to depend on foreign funding, as well as narcotics smuggling and other illegal activities.
The ex-militant, who renounced violence and returned to the mainstream two years ago, further alleged that organizations like the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) acted as “nurseries” for militancy. According to him, student groups were deliberately used to recruit and radicalize young people into BLA’s network.
Shambay revealed that internal rivalries often turned deadly, citing violent clashes in 2014–15 between his supporters and followers of Brahamdagh Bugti, where families of slain fighters were misinformed about the circumstances of their deaths.
On the regional dimension, he said the BLA continued to receive weapons and safe havens in Afghanistan, including advanced U.S. military equipment left behind after the war, now circulating in Afghan black markets.
Rejecting militancy as a solution, Shambay emphasized that only political struggle and reconciliation could achieve lasting results. “All resistance movements eventually realize that armed conflict is not the answer. We too chose to step away from the gun and return to politics,” he concluded.
