Gulzar Imam

Following the killing of Akbar Bugti in 2006, armed conflict intensified between Baloch nationalist groups and Pakistani state forces. That same year, Barhamdagh Bugti established the Balochistan Republican Party and its military wing, the Balochistan Republican Army.^[3] Imam rose to the rank of senior commander within the BRA and was reported to have planned several of its operations.

In 2017, internal disputes emerged between Imam and Bugti over the leadership of the organisation. Bugti publicly accused Imam of involvement in smuggling and kidnapping. In 2018, Imam was expelled from the BRA on allegations of extrajudicial killings and extortion, after which he established a breakaway BRA faction. In 2022, together with Sarfaraz Bangalzai, a commander of the United Balochistan Army, he co-founded the Baloch Nationalist Army.^[4]

On 22 November 2023, Turkish authorities announced the arrest of Gulzar Imam upon his entry into the country via Iran. He was subsequently handed over to Pakistani authorities.^[5][6]