The arrest and televised confession of Dr. Usman Qazi, a university professor and PhD holder from Balochistan, has brought to light a troubling phenomenon: the recruitment and radicalization of highly educated individuals by terrorist organizations like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). His case has become a focal point in the ongoing conflict between the state and armed groups, compelling a closer look at the complex factors driving this trend and its devastating impact on Balochistan’s youth.
At the press conference, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti identified Dr. Qazi as a facilitator for the BLA’s Majeed Brigade. His remarks were not limited to the arrest itself but carried a broader message to the Baloch people. Bugti urged citizens to distance themselves from those who abet terrorism, arguing that such individuals cannot claim marginalization. He also warned that the state would take action against anyone aiding militants, even holding family members accountable for the actions of their relatives.
The Confession
The confession video of Dr. Qazi himself adds a chilling dimension to this narrative. In the video, Dr. Qazi, who studied at top universities in Islamabad and Peshawar, calmly describes his journey into militancy. He states that he met friends at Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) who were involved in a terrorist organization. His confession details his actions as a facilitator, from providing shelter to an injured commander to harboring a suicide bomber. He admits to purchasing a pistol for a female accomplice, which was later used in an attack on security forces. A key detail from the confession is his repeated mention of Habitan Baloch, the husband of the infamous suicide bomber Shari Baloch.
This direct connection points to a highly intertwined and organized network, where educated individuals are linked through personal and academic relationships. What makes his confession particularly poignant is his expression of regret. He acknowledges that the state had provided him with a respectable job and life for both him and his wife, and that he feels shame for betraying it. He ends with a message to the youth, urging them to stay away from such organizations, recognizing the chaos they spread.
Tragic Examples
Dr. Qazi is not an isolated case. The involvement of educated youth in the terrorism has been a persistent and troubling trend. The cases of students from Quaid-e-Azam University, in particular, provide tragic examples of this. Shadad Baloch, a master’s student in Defense and Strategic Studies at QAU, along with fellow QAU student Ehsan Baloch, were killed in a skirmish with Pakistani security forces in May 2020. The BLA later claimed them as members. Their deaths sparked a national conversation about why highly educated young people, with promising futures, would choose an armed response.
Perhaps one of the most shocking examples of this trend is the case of Shari Baloch. A 30 year old mother of two, she was a school teacher with a master’s degree in zoology from the University of Balochistan. In a watershed moment for the insurgency, she carried out a suicide bombing at the University of Karachi in April 2022, killing three Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. The BLA’s claim of responsibility and their praise for her as their first female suicide bomber sent shockwaves through the country.
The fact that a woman from a well-educated, middle-class background with no prior family affiliation with militants would commit such an act led to intense scrutiny. It signaled a new and dangerous dimension to the insurgency, with the BLA leveraging its female members who, like Shari Baloch, could operate without arousing suspicion. Her final message, expressing her desire to create a “pathway that others will pursue,” tragically inspired subsequent attacks by others, including a female student named Sumaiya Qalandrani Baloch, who targeted a Pakistani military convoy. The link between Shari Baloch and the arrested professor’s confession through her husband, Habitan Baloch, suggests a deliberate strategy by the BLA to recruit from educated circles, creating a network that is both ideological and social.
An Ethno-fascist Agenda
However, the participation of such individuals also serves to debunk the BLA’s public narrative. While the group claims to be fighting for the rights of the Baloch people, its actions often belie this assertion, exposing an ethno-fascist agenda. There have been numerous instances of the BLA targeting non-Baloch civilians, particularly those from Punjab. In a series of attacks, armed militants have stopped passenger buses and cars, identified individuals based on their ethnic identity through their national ID cards, and executed them on the spot. These attacks, which have tragically claimed the lives of hundreds of Punjabis living and working in Balochistan, demonstrate that the BLA’s fight is not a struggle for collective rights but rather a brutal campaign to establish an ethnically exclusive state. The killing of a non-baloch assistant professor at the University of Balochistan in 2010 after she refused to bribe the BLA further highlights this dangerous tendency, showing that even members of the educated class are not immune from their ethnic-based violence.
In a move that further delegitimizes the BLA’s claims, the United States recently designated the Baloch Liberation Army as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This designation imposes sanctions and legal penalties on supporters, reinforcing the global view that the group’s actions constitute terrorism, not a legitimate freedom struggle.
The involvement of educated youth in the the insurgency highlights how the BLA exploits academic and social networks to radicalize and recruit. Far from a struggle for rights, its campaign of ethnic violence exposes an ethno-fascist agenda, one now globally recognized as terrorism.
Professors, Students, and Suicide Bombers: How the BLA Exploits Education System
The arrest and televised confession of Dr. Usman Qazi, a university professor and PhD holder from Balochistan, has brought to light a troubling phenomenon: the recruitment and radicalization of highly educated individuals by terrorist organizations like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). His case has become a focal point in the ongoing conflict between the state and armed groups, compelling a closer look at the complex factors driving this trend and its devastating impact on Balochistan’s youth.
At the press conference, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti identified Dr. Qazi as a facilitator for the BLA’s Majeed Brigade. His remarks were not limited to the arrest itself but carried a broader message to the Baloch people. Bugti urged citizens to distance themselves from those who abet terrorism, arguing that such individuals cannot claim marginalization. He also warned that the state would take action against anyone aiding militants, even holding family members accountable for the actions of their relatives.
The Confession
The confession video of Dr. Qazi himself adds a chilling dimension to this narrative. In the video, Dr. Qazi, who studied at top universities in Islamabad and Peshawar, calmly describes his journey into militancy. He states that he met friends at Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) who were involved in a terrorist organization. His confession details his actions as a facilitator, from providing shelter to an injured commander to harboring a suicide bomber. He admits to purchasing a pistol for a female accomplice, which was later used in an attack on security forces. A key detail from the confession is his repeated mention of Habitan Baloch, the husband of the infamous suicide bomber Shari Baloch.
This direct connection points to a highly intertwined and organized network, where educated individuals are linked through personal and academic relationships. What makes his confession particularly poignant is his expression of regret. He acknowledges that the state had provided him with a respectable job and life for both him and his wife, and that he feels shame for betraying it. He ends with a message to the youth, urging them to stay away from such organizations, recognizing the chaos they spread.
Tragic Examples
Dr. Qazi is not an isolated case. The involvement of educated youth in the terrorism has been a persistent and troubling trend. The cases of students from Quaid-e-Azam University, in particular, provide tragic examples of this. Shadad Baloch, a master’s student in Defense and Strategic Studies at QAU, along with fellow QAU student Ehsan Baloch, were killed in a skirmish with Pakistani security forces in May 2020. The BLA later claimed them as members. Their deaths sparked a national conversation about why highly educated young people, with promising futures, would choose an armed response.
Perhaps one of the most shocking examples of this trend is the case of Shari Baloch. A 30 year old mother of two, she was a school teacher with a master’s degree in zoology from the University of Balochistan. In a watershed moment for the insurgency, she carried out a suicide bombing at the University of Karachi in April 2022, killing three Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. The BLA’s claim of responsibility and their praise for her as their first female suicide bomber sent shockwaves through the country.
The fact that a woman from a well-educated, middle-class background with no prior family affiliation with militants would commit such an act led to intense scrutiny. It signaled a new and dangerous dimension to the insurgency, with the BLA leveraging its female members who, like Shari Baloch, could operate without arousing suspicion. Her final message, expressing her desire to create a “pathway that others will pursue,” tragically inspired subsequent attacks by others, including a female student named Sumaiya Qalandrani Baloch, who targeted a Pakistani military convoy. The link between Shari Baloch and the arrested professor’s confession through her husband, Habitan Baloch, suggests a deliberate strategy by the BLA to recruit from educated circles, creating a network that is both ideological and social.
An Ethno-fascist Agenda
However, the participation of such individuals also serves to debunk the BLA’s public narrative. While the group claims to be fighting for the rights of the Baloch people, its actions often belie this assertion, exposing an ethno-fascist agenda. There have been numerous instances of the BLA targeting non-Baloch civilians, particularly those from Punjab. In a series of attacks, armed militants have stopped passenger buses and cars, identified individuals based on their ethnic identity through their national ID cards, and executed them on the spot. These attacks, which have tragically claimed the lives of hundreds of Punjabis living and working in Balochistan, demonstrate that the BLA’s fight is not a struggle for collective rights but rather a brutal campaign to establish an ethnically exclusive state. The killing of a non-baloch assistant professor at the University of Balochistan in 2010 after she refused to bribe the BLA further highlights this dangerous tendency, showing that even members of the educated class are not immune from their ethnic-based violence.
In a move that further delegitimizes the BLA’s claims, the United States recently designated the Baloch Liberation Army as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). This designation imposes sanctions and legal penalties on supporters, reinforcing the global view that the group’s actions constitute terrorism, not a legitimate freedom struggle.
The involvement of educated youth in the the insurgency highlights how the BLA exploits academic and social networks to radicalize and recruit. Far from a struggle for rights, its campaign of ethnic violence exposes an ethno-fascist agenda, one now globally recognized as terrorism.
SAT Commentary
SAT Commentary
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