Ex-BLA militants ask Baloch rebels to lay down arms

Both men appeal to members of banned outfits to live peacefully

ISLAMABAD:

Former Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) activists Falak Sher Marri and Javed Marri have asked their ex-compatriots to lay down their arms and rejoin the mainstream society.

In a video message, Falak Sher said he had become affiliated with the BLA in 2001 and left it in 2015, rejoining the national mainstream society.

He added that the security forces assisted him a great deal during this process.

“My brother was released. My job was restored as well,” he continued.

Falak Sher said following in his footsteps, more BLA militants quit the banned outfit.

“Praise be to God, we are now living happy lives with our wives and children,” he maintained.

Falak Sher appealed to the Baloch militants to lay down their arms and rejoin the mainstream society.
He asked them to focus on their children’s education as well as look after them as Pakistan was their country and they were all Muslims.

He added that the struggle for the province’s rights could be carried out in a proper manner.
Similar to Falak Sher, Javed too recalled his time with the banned outfit.

Also read: Baloch unrest

Javed said he was a resident of Kohlu and remained affiliated with the BLA from 2009 to 2015. He continued that after laying down his arms in 2015, he joined the mainstream society and started his own business.

Javed also expressed his gratitude to the government for going easy on them. “I now live a peaceful life and my children are receiving their education,” he added.

Javed asked the Baloch rebels to shun terrorism and submit their weapons to the authorities so that they could spend the rest of their lives in peace.

The two former BLA men expressed their desire to see Pakistan make progress in the world.

Balochistan has been in the throes of a strange mix of violence for decades.

Partly, this violence has been fuelled by religious and sectarian extremism, and partly by a chronic sense of deprivation among its impoverished population exploited by the hostile agencies to keep the province in turmoil in their attempts to destabilise Pakistan.