QUETTA: The spokesperson of the Baloch Liberation Army, Azad Baloch, in a statement to media said that the US Department of Treasury in a recent decision proscribe BLA under the Executive Order 13224 which was passed during the era of George W Bush after 9/11 to counter Islamic extremists including Al-Qaeda and global terrorism inspired by religious radicalisation.

The religious radical, Azad Baloch said, murdered at 2977 innocent people in 9/11 terrorist attack and further three thousand American and other allied have killed by same forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been providing safe sanctuaries, training and facilitating attacks and US and allied forces. “Hence, the Pakistani state and its army are responsible for the death of thousands of the US and its allied forces’ soldiers. The US politicians and top military officers have also time and again confessed Pakistan’s role against US forces in Afghanistan,” Mr Baloch said.

In January 2019, in an authentic report by international media revealed that pro-Pakistan Taliban had demanded that after US withdrawal from Afghanistan the Afghan government must not give refuge to pro-independence Baloch people at all costs. Pakistan which has illegally and forcibly occupied Balochistan and the Taliban who killed more than three thousand American and allied soldiers, they are also against Baloch people because Baloch are the antithesis of the terrorist state of Pakistan and Taliban. But, despite knowing this fact the Trump administration has been tricked by the Taliban and Pakistan into using anti-religious extremism Executive Order against Baloch struggle. Baloch nation has never posed any danger to the American people, state and interests.

Azad Baloch said that the attacks that have been used as an excuse to put the BLA on the terror list has nothing to do with his organisation. “The BLA High Command in a statement in December 2017 informed the Baloch nation, media and the world of its organisational policies and decisions that Aslam Baloch and Bashirzeb were suspended for conspiring against the organisation from within. The other two previous spokespersons, Meerak Baloch and Jiyand Baloch were dismissed indefinitely and Azad Baloch was made the official spokesperson of the Baloch Liberation Army,” he added.

The High Command in its statement had also made it clear that the suspended members on the directions of Iran and pro-Iran groups wanted to make the organisation a proxy of Iran which is in direct contradiction to the policies of BLA’s fundamental principles because BLA considers both Iran and Pakistan as the occupiers and enemy of the Baloch nation.

Azad Baloch said that in its previous statement BLA High Command also clarified that BLF’s policy to target journalist was never endorsed by the BLA and when these two suspended members issued statements in the favour BLF’s anti-journalist campaign then BLA issued counter statement and clarified that these statements were issued by two suspended members, Aslam and Bashirzeb, who had used a terminated spokesperson’s name to support BLF’s statement. The organisation had clarified that there is no cooperation between BLA and BLF because of several policy disagreements.

Azad Baloch said we informed the Baloch nation and the world through our several public statements to the media about Aslam Baloch and Bashirzeb that these commanders have been suspended and must face accountability. Despite knowing all the facts, BLF supported these suspended members and by adding them into an alliance called BRAS encouraged their anti-struggle behaviour and now we all know the impact of such wrong policies.

Azad Baloch said that the US government in its decision to put BLA on terror list has mentioned the attacks on Chinese Engineers in August 2018, attack on Chinese Consulate in November 2018 and the attack on PC Hotel Gwadar Balochistan in May 2019. The suspended members and terminated spokesperson Jiyand Baloch had claimed responsibility for these attacks but the High Command of BLA in its statement in 2017 had completely terminated Jiyand and Merak and also in a separate statement disassociated itself from August 2018 attack.

Azad Baloch said these attacks were conducted by suspended commanders on the direction of Iran and it has been the goal of Iran to label the Baloch struggle as terrorism in the eyes of the international community because the Baloch national liberation struggle is an existential threat to Iran and Pakistan that’s the reason in spite of having disagreement between both states they are on the same page against the Baloch nation. Azad Baloch said that attacks which were conducted after the clarification statements by organisation about two suspended members have nothing to do with our organisation. “Any attacks in future in the name of BLA accepted by anyone other than our official spokesperson Azad Baloch should also not be attributed to our organisation,” Azad Baloch said.

The BLA in its statement said that the Chinese, Pakistani and Iranian states are conspiring against Baloch freedom struggle and unfortunately some elements in the Baloch national struggle, consciously or unconsciously, have become part of this conspiracy and are playing in the hands of enemies of the Baloch nation. Such acts of these elements have damaged the Baloch national liberation movement at the International level.

Addressing the current US administration Azad Baloch said that they should understand that labelling BLA as a terrorist organisation is tantamount to accusing the Baloch freedom struggle and the Baloch nation of terrorism. He added, “The Baloch nation has resisted against British imperialists colonial designs and still resisting against Pakistani and Iranian occupation of the Baloch homeland. Baloch freedom struggle was not initiated with the US or anyone else’s permission and neither will the decision of the US to accuse us of terrorism stop the Baloch national struggle.” Azad Baloch said the Baloch national struggle is not limited to one organisation, in fact, it is a national resistance struggle of the Baloch nation which will continue until the end of the Iranian and Pakistani occupation on Balochistan.

Azad Baloch in his statement while addressing the Baloch youth and Baloch nation said that acts such as personal projection and disregarding the organisational discipline and decisions and the policies regarding the struggle which are ignorant of international politics, international laws and enemies tricks are having a negative impact on the Baloch national struggle on the international level. It shows how the wrong actions of suspended members have provided an excuse to the enemies of the Baloch nation to defame the freedom movement and mislead the international community.

Azad Baloch said that those Baloch youths, who were sent by the suspended members to carry out attacks on PC Hotel Gwadar and Chinese Consulate in Karachi, committed such acts in their sense of patriotism and national commitment but their sacrifices did not benefit the Baloch struggle, because they were used by these suspended commanders to cover their own wrong policies, and instead their sacrifices weakened the Baloch cause on the international level.

Azad Baloch lamented that suspended Bashirzeb, to gain cheap publicity and for his personal projection was using the name of the organisation. BLA is a guerrilla organisation which strictly believes in secrecy and has never exposed the identity of its leadership, commanders and members.

Azad Baloch also announced to expel Bashirzeb from BLA and completely terminate his membership.