NEW DELHI: Mystery shrouds the status and whereabouts of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) Commander-in-Chief Bashir Zeb Baloch, following an announcement by the rebel group on Tuesday that he was stepping down from his post. The announcement stood in contrast to claims circulating on pro-Pakistan military social media accounts that suggest an assassination attempt or his death.Rumours across pro-Pakistan Telegram channels, citing unnamed sources, speculated that Zeb was the target of a poisoning attempt by a close confidant in Kandahar and was subsequently rushed to a military hospital.Other accounts went further, claiming he was eliminated in a Pakistani military airstrike inside Afghanistan in September — a claim that remains independently unverified.
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Zeb had emerged as the primary face of the BLA’s major offensive, Operation Herof. Visuals released during the operation depicting him riding a motorcycle without security cover had created significant ripples across security and intelligence circles.In an official statement issued by the BLA, the group clarified the context around Zeb’s departure saying: “Following the decision of the Senior Command Council in accordance with the constitution of the organization, former Commander-in-Chief of the Baloch Liberation Army, Bashir Zeb Baloch, will no longer serve as the head of the organization.”“Until the selection of a new Commander-in-Chief, all administrative, military, and policy-making powers have been officially entrusted to the Senior Command Council, the highest supreme body of the BLA, while military operations across all fronts will continue without interruption,” the statement from BLA said.The rebel group saidnthat during the reorganization of the BLA in 2018, the ideological and structural founder of the BLA, Ustad Aslam Baloch, had brought an end to hereditary politics and lifelong leadership, establishing the organization on the foundations of merit, transparency, and institutional principles.“He set the guiding principle that no matter how influential, prominent, or high-ranking a commander may be in this movement, no individual can remain Commander-in-Chief for life. To maintain this ideological and organizational continuity, a clear and consensus-based procedure was incorporated into the BLA constitution so that, if the need ever arose, an established and peaceful constitutional pathway for a smooth leadership transition would exist.““In accordance with this principle, a joint meeting of the highest bodies of the BLA was held on October 16, during which constitutional and organizational matters were thoroughly reviewed. During the meeting, all commanders unanimously decided in favor of leadership transition to impart fresh momentum to the organization’s activities,” the statement said.“Our operational activities across all fronts continue without interruption. The name of the new Commander-in-Chief will be announced soon at the conclusion of the next phases,” the BLA said.
