Gulzar Imam Shambay, the founder and head of banned Baloch National Army (BNA), Tuesday pleaded for mercy and asked his followers to give up arms and surrender to the state. The most high profile militant leader, who was arrested in one of the most complex intelligence operations involving various geographical locations, urged the disgruntled Baloch people to leave their “armed rebellion” and better join the national mainstream to work for the development and prosperity of Balochistan and the country. The BNA leader was presented before the media by Balochistan Minister for Home and Tribal Affairs Ziaullah Langu during a press conference. The minister briefly informed the media about how the BNA leader was arrested by the security agencies. The BNA leader refused to remain a pawn of the hostile agencies, saying the state like a mother would give him and other militants to come into its fold giving them a chance to reform and become responsible citizens instead of continuing the so-called “fight for rights”. Shambay said he remained involved in militancy for the last 15 years, aimed at, though wrongly, protecting the Baloch people, and was arrested a few days ago. He said during his captivity, he had meetings and discussions with the Baloch elders and came to the conclusion that the people’s rights could be achieved only through constitutional and political means. Shambay said taking up arms was his big blunder as it was the wrong path to achieve the goals. The “armed rebellion” had rather worsened the situation for the people of Balochistan, by increasing their problems. “Some inimical forces have been using the disgruntled elements as a pressure group, causing harm to the Baloch people and resultantly the Balochistan province has become a victim of degradation and backwardness”, he said Replying to a question, he said every country had its own interests. No one could deny the geographical importance of Balochistan and those people involved in anti-state activities were getting support from hostile agencies, he added. According to sources of the security forces, the BNA militant leader was born in Paroom, District Panjgur, in 1978. He worked as a contractor, and correspondent of a local newspaper before joining terrorist group in 2009. He remained deputy to Brahamdagh Bugti in Baloch Republican Army (BRA) till 2018 and later, after the creation of Baloch Raj Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), he formed his own militant outfit Baloch National Army (BNA). He was an ideologue, who remained a leading character in steering militant activities in Balochistan, particularly in the south Balochistan, besides remaining contact with the hostile intelligence agencies for the so-called independence of the province. He visited India on fake documents in December 2017. Upon shifting of militancy leadership from feuds to commoners, Shambay emerged as an influential character in BRAS due to links with hostile agencies and remained its operational head prior to his arrest The operation to nab the high profile militant leader was spread over months. However, its climax/ execution was carried out in a professional and calculated manner in under 12 hours The intelligence agencies found initial leads about the hierarchy and leadership of the militant groups through ongoing investigations and resident moles placed inside various militant organizations. The leads were confirmed and double checked through usage of state of the art digital technologies and software, thus cracking into secure networks used by hostile actors. The militant leader (Shambay) was identified after extensive efforts that involved penetration into discreet and highly confidential digital space whereby various terrorist networks were identified and their linkage with hostile intelligence agencies and abettors were established. Highly trained intelligence operators were employed at various geographic locations to verify the digital information. Upon positive confirmation of Shambay, he was approached under the guise of agents from HIAs. After necessary rapport building, he was gradually lured in through offers for financial and technical assistance. Owing to different geographic contiguities, the complex case of intelligence history was undertaken through creation of fictitious characters, preparation of required supporting documents and routing/ delivery of finances through failsafe unidentifiable means, which ultimately facilitated in engagement and strengthening bond with Shambay. The sources said, “The arrest of Shambay indicates that the state, LEAs and intelligence agencies (especially ISI) are cognizant of the challenges and in full grip of the militant landscape.”