Baloch insurgency leader arrested, says Pakistan army

Gulzar Imam, also known as Shambay, is the founder and leader of the banned Baloch Nationalist Army

Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa arrives for a military parade to mark the country's National Day in Islamabad. Ap

Pakistan's top intelligence agency arrested a high-value target in an operation against a Baloch insurgent group in the country's south-west, the army has said.

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 the United Baloch Army.

The Pakistan army said BNA had been involved in dozens of terrorist attacks in the country, including those on security forces.

The army'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. It said the arrest was made possible after months-long intelligence effort but did not provide further details.

The gas-rich south-western Balochistan province at the border of Afghanistan and Iran has been a scene of a low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists for more than two decades.

Baloch nationalists initially wanted a share of the provincial resources, but later they initiated an insurgency for independence.