Pakistan to move Interpol for arrest of Hyrbyair, Brahumdagh

Centre also decides to expand Balochistan peace program to woo reconcilable Baloch leaders

KARACHI: The federal government has decided to formally approach France-based Interpol for the arrest of the Baloch separatist leaders who remotely control the proscribed terrorists groups blamed for most terrorist violence in Balochistan, Daily Express has learnt from credible sources.

Among them are Hyrbyair Marri, the chief of Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) who lives in self-exile in London; and Brahumdagh Bugti, who is believed to be running the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and has applied for political asylum in India after his request was rejected by Switzerland.

The two groups, designated as terrorists by Pakistan, have been fighting a low-key bloody insurgency in Balochistan since 2004. The insurgency became bloodier after the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti, the grandfather of Brahumdagh, in a military operation in 2006.



Recently, the BLA displayed ‘Free Balochistan’ posters in Geneva ahead of a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The display of the secessionist posters drew a strong diplomatic rebuke from Pakistan which says the BLA is doing India’s bidding.

The government has decided to formally approach Interpol with irrefutable evidence to establish that Hyrbyair, Brahumdagh and other Baloch separatists have been involved in anti-state activities in Pakistan, according to sources.

“They will be brought to justice for their heinous crimes, come what may!” said one source.

Last week army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said the people badmouthing Pakistan and its army and talking about dismembering the country could not escape the law. He also called upon the Balochistan youth to not pay heed to anti-state propaganda being engineered by anti-state elements from abroad with the support of hostile foreign agencies.



Pakistani officials have repeatedly said that India’s top spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), has been arming and bankrolling terrorist groups to destabilise Pakistan. Last year’s arrest of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an active RAW agent, from Balochistan lends further credence to Pakistan’s fears.

According to the sources, the government has also decided to step up security operation against RAW and its proxies – the proscribed terrorist groups – in Balochistan. At the same time, the policy of reconciliation and reintegration would also be vigorously pursued in the volatile province.

For the purpose, the federal government has decided to expand the scope of Balochistan Peace Program.

“The insurgents willing to give up their arms and renounce violence will be brought back into the national mainstream in consultation with other stakeholders,” said another source. “The monetary package for such insurgents will be enhanced to Rs1 million.”

The policy has already started paying dividends as hundreds of Baloch insurgents have turned themselves in with the promise that they would give up violence, and scores more have shown willingness to renounce violence.



According to the sources, the federal government would reach out to reconcilable Baloch leaders, especially the Khan of Kalat, through intermediaries in an attempt to bring them back to Balochistan to join the national mainstream.

Currently, there is a pause in the reconciliation process. The government has made it clear to these Baloch leaders that the dialogue process would resume only after they announced submission to the writ of the state, say to sources.

Last week, Ghazain Marri, a brother of Hyrbyair Marri, ended his 18-year-long self-exile and returned to Pakistan. Some analysts say Ghazain’s homecoming was also part of the government strategy to reach out to disgruntled but reconcilable Baloch leaders.

When asked for comments, Balochistan government’s spokesperson Anwar-ul Haq Kakar said it was the federal government’s prerogative to seek help from Interpol for the arrest of irreconcilable Baloch leaders.

However, he confirmed that the Balochistan Peace Program has yielded positive results. “Those who turn themselves in and give up violence are being dealt with in accordance with the law,” he added.

Kakar credited Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri and security agencies for the “fast-improving security situation” in Balochistan.