Aftermath of 2018 attack by Balochistan separatists on the Chinese Consulate compound in Karachi, Pakistan AP
ISLAMABAD A Pakistani separatist group known for attacking Chinese interests in the country has dissolved after the surrender of its top leader, but the deadly insurgency shows few signs of ending.
Sarfraz Bangulzai, head of the Baloch Nationalist Army (BNA), turned himself over to authorities in the city of Quetta last week along with the militant groups 70 remaining members, in what is thought to be the first time a top-ranking separatist leader has surrendered to security forces.
In recent years, Pakistan has been battling a rise in militant activity involving myriad groups ranging from the Pakistani Taliban to separatists in breakaway Balochistan province, where Bangulzais group is based.
The surrender of Sarfraz Bangulzai is no doubt a major victory for the Pakistani government, Kiyya Baloch, an independent security analyst, told Nikkei Asia.
The Dec. 20 surrender comes less than a year after Pakistan said it had Gulzar Imam, the separatist groups co-leader, in custody.
Imam was considered a major player in a militant movement based in southern Balochistan where separatists fighting to carve out their own homeland have targeted Chinese nationals seen as exploiting the provinces resources and its Port of Gwadar.
The port is a cornerstone of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $50 billion component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijings globe-spanning infrastructure push.
The Baloch Nationalist Army formed last year as part of a merger between separatist splinter groups was part of the broader Baloch Raji Ajoi Sangar (BRAS) alliance, which has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks on Chinese interests in Balochistan and southern port city Karachi.
Pakistani officials have pledged to beef up security for Chinese nationals in the country after a spate of violence including an August ambush on a convoy of Chinese engineers in Gwadar as well as a 2018 assault at the Chinese embassy in Karachi and, separately, a deadly attack in 2020 at the Pakistan stock exchange.
A Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bangulzais Dec. 20 surrender came after his detained co-leader Imam convinced him to lay down arms. The former BNA co-leader was cooperating with Pakistani authorities, he added.
Imam convinced Bangulzai to surrender as they had realized that they were fighting a futile war and were being used by foreign hands, the official said. Pakistan previously blamed archrival India for funding Baloch separatists.
Others say that Imams arrest left his former comrade isolated and with few allies in the two biggest separatist groups, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch Liberation Front (BLF).
The leadership of Baloch Liberation Army and Baloch Liberation Front did not trust Bangulzai and closed their doors on him, said Rasheed Baloch, a political analyst based in Quetta, Balochistans capital. Bangulzai assessed the situation and decidedthat he would be better off making a deal with the government as opposed to continue operating his militant outfit.
The security official predicted that the surrender would encourage more separatists to lay downarms in exchange for amnesty, which was granted to members of the Baloch Nationalist Army.
The militant groups would also weaken operationally after Bangulzai and Imam share a treasure trove of operational information with the government, he added.
Still, while the high-profile surrender means one group that threatened key economic interests is off the table, it does not mean an end to a two-decade insurgency, analysts said.
Threats against Chinese interests were not entirely dependent on Sarfraz Bangulzai, said Fakhar Kakakhel, an independent analyst specializing in militancy in Pakistan. So, the threat to Chinese interests in Balochistan will remain intact.
Indeed, attacks continued following the death of Aslam Baloch. Thecommander of the Baloch Liberation Army who had openly threatened China was killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan in December 2018.
Even the assassination of Aslam Baloch did not affect Baloch separatist militancy and therefore the surrender of Bangulzai will not mean the end of it, said analyst Baloch. The Baloch separatist insurgency will continue unless the security-centric approach of the state of Pakistan does not end.