Tariq Khan Tareen<\/p>\n
The recent televised confession of Sarfraz Bangalzai, a former commander of the banned United Baloch Army (UBA), has reignited a long-buried debate about the manipulation of Baloch youth and the sophisticated propaganda machinery sustaining unrest in the province. His revelations, followed by the earlier testimony of Gulzar Imam Shambay, once the chief of the banned Baloch National Army, have peeled back the layers of deception that long cloaked separatist violence as a romantic struggle for \u201cfreedom.\u201d
\nBangalzai, now part of the state\u2019s rehabilitation initiative, painted a disturbing picture of how extremist groups exploit emotions, misinformation, and foreign funding to maintain a perpetual state of turmoil. He revealed that the so-called Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) operates as a \u201csoft front\u201d for militant outfits such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) \u2014 providing ideological justification and a public fa\u00e7ade to their violent agendas. According to him, BYC capitalizes on deeply emotional issues like the \u201cmissing persons\u201d narrative to mobilize young minds, while concealing the very groups responsible for much of the bloodshed.
\nHe recounted how Dr. Mahrang Baloch\u2019s father, Ghaffar Langove, a known BLA commander, was killed not by state forces but in an internal rift between militant factions led by Hyrbyar Marri, a fact corroborated years ago by Mama Qadeer in a public statement. Bangalzai claimed that many individuals later labeled as \u201cmissing persons\u201d actually perished in infighting among these armed groups, whose families were then manipulated into blaming the security forces \u2014 a cruel cycle of deceit that fuels hostility and mistrust.
\nThe former militant also exposed the strategic nexus between separatist movements and international actors. According to him, India\u2019s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) plays a central role in funding and coordinating anti-Pakistan propaganda, particularly through networks operating from Europe and Afghanistan. Digital platforms such as The Balochistan Post, Sangar, and Zrumbash serve as echo chambers for anti-state sentiment, radicalizing the youth and sustaining the illusion of widespread oppression.
\nMeanwhile, Dr. Naseem Baloch and other operatives of the so-called Baloch National Movement (BNM) have been mobilizing asylum seekers across Europe, weaponizing Western humanitarian frameworks for political gain. By portraying Pakistan as a repressive state, they secure asylum, financial benefits, and protection \u2014 while in reality functioning as an extended arm of a transnational propaganda apparatus. These individuals, Bangalzai asserted, are not activists but opportunists who thrive on exploiting the suffering of others to maintain their comfortable exile.
\nThe earlier confession of Gulzar Imam Shambay complements Bangalzai\u2019s testimony, exposing the organizational and ideological rot within the separatist movement. Once hailed by extremist circles as a \u201cfreedom fighter,\u201d Shambay\u2019s admission of foreign support, internal corruption, and senseless violence shattered the myth of a noble cause. Both men, now advocates of peace, emphasized that the insurgency\u2019s rank-and-file are not ideologically driven revolutionaries but emotionally exploited youth misled by charismatic figures who live far from the conflict zones, often in luxury abroad.
\nBangalzai described how weapons flow into Balochistan through Afghanistan-based sanctuaries, turning the porous border into a lifeline for terrorism. He stressed that effective border control and intelligence cooperation are indispensable for lasting peace. Yet, he also called for a parallel focus on rehabilitation and reintegration, urging the government to expand programs that provide surrendered militants with education, livelihood, and psychological support. Such initiatives, he argued, represent Pakistan\u2019s genuine commitment to reconciliation \u2014 a path far more constructive than vengeance or suppression.
\nThe testimonies of these two men serve as a wake-up call. They unmask the cynical exploitation of ethnic sentiment by both domestic extremists and foreign handlers. For decades, Balochistan\u2019s pain has been monetized and politicized \u2014 its tragedies repackaged into propaganda for global consumption. The emotional weight of \u201cdisappeared persons,\u201d genuine in many cases, has been hijacked by those who have the most to gain from perpetual unrest.
\nIf there is one lesson from Bangalzai and Shambay\u2019s transformation, it is that peace in Balochistan requires not just military victories but a battle for truth \u2014 a confrontation with false narratives and ideological manipulation. It demands intellectual engagement, digital literacy, and societal resilience to inoculate the next generation against the poison of radical propaganda.
\nBoth men\u2019s confessions underscore that the insurgency was never about liberation; it was a business of chaos \u2014 financed abroad, executed by a few, and suffered by many. The youth of Balochistan deserve better than to be pawns in this grim theater. As Bangalzai concluded, \u201cMost of us were not revolutionaries; we were deceived \u2014 emotionally trapped into believing lies.\u201d
\nBalochistan\u2019s future lies not in the echo of gunfire or the rhetoric of exiled demagogues, but in truth, development, and reconciliation. The confessions of Bangalzai and Shambay may well mark the turning point in dismantling the myth of militancy \u2014 exposing it for what it truly is: a tragedy disguised as a movement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tariq Khan Tareen The recent televised confession of Sarfraz Bangalzai, a former commander of the banned United Baloch Army (UBA), has reignited a long-buried debate about the manipulation of Baloch youth and the sophisticated propaganda machinery sustaining unrest in the province. His revelations, followed by the earlier testimony of Gulzar Imam Shambay, once the chief […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13721],"class_list":{"0":"post-507920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-tariq-khan-tareen"},"yoast_head":"\n