BLA ousts Dhurandhar who rattled Pak. Female fighters linked to fall?

Bashir Zeb of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), who rose from dabbling in student politics to occupy the top post of the armed separatist outfit, has been ousted. Zeb, who made a name for himself by orchestrating the most audacious attacks across Pakistan targeting the country's military, security forces, infrastructure and Chinese interests, would no longer serve as the outfit's Commander-in-Chief, BLA's spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch announced on Tuesday, (November 3).Bashir Zeb's appearance and videos of him riding through Balochistan with armed fighters drew comparisons with Hamza Ali Mazari, the protagonist of Dhurandhar. But was his ouster from the BLA triggered by an internal rift over a costly military offensive, or did his use of women suicide bombers and the criticism it attracted play a role?Zeb, a mechanical engineering graduate and a literature student, became the BLA chief in December 2018, succeeding Aslam Baloch, who was killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. Under his leadership, the BLA was responsible for attacks on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi (2018), the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar (2019), and the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi (2020). The BLA was also responsible for launching coordinated assaults across Balochistan province under Operations Herof and Herof-2, and also hijacking the Jaffar Express in March 2025.In short, Zeb's antics rattled Pakistan's Asim Munir-led establishment to the core. As such, the sudden ouster of a militant who had given both Islamabad and Rawalpindi nightmares, has raised more questions than answers. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT ZEB'S OUSTER?The BLA announced on November 3 through a press release carried by news outlet The Balochistan Post that Bashir Zeb would no longer serve as its Commander-in Chief. All his administrative, military and policymaking powers would be transferred to the armed separatist outfit's Senior Command Council pending the appointment of a successor.According to The Balochistan Post, the decision followed a joint meeting of the BLA's highest bodies on October 16 where commanders unanimously approved the transition. The BLA stated that the move followed the group's constitutional principles adopted during its 2018 restructuring, which sought to prevent a single leader from assuming lifelong leadership. "No matter how influential, prominent, or high-ranking a commander may be in this movement, no individual can remain Commander-in-Chief for life," the BLA's statement said.The BLA described the change as a peaceful transfer of power, insisting it took place "without internal fragmentation, breakdown or conflict".And that is pretty much all we know about why Bashir Zeb was taken off the top post. Apart from abiding by "constitutional institutions", the BLA didn't give any other reason for Zeb's ouster. Also, not clear is Zeb's whereabouts, as to where he is, whether he is still free or detained, or if he is injured or not. Pakistan paramilitary personnel take position in the troubled area of Dera Bugti in Balochistan province. (Image: AP) IS AN INTERNAL RIFT OVER HEROF 2 THE REASON FOR BASHIR ZEB'S OUSTER?While the BLA has not given a concrete reason for Zeb's removal, reports suggest that internal disagreements over his military strategy might have played a role.According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based think tank, Zeb's removal followed months of dissent over the BLA's handling of Operation Herof 2.Launched on January 31, 2026, Herof 2 was a coordinated BLA offensive targeting Pakistani security forces and government installations across Balochistan. Its outcome reportedly became a major point of friction between Zeb and Captain Rahman Gul, head of the Majeed Brigade, the BLA's elite suicide-attack unit.Citing sources familiar with the outfit's internal affairs of the BLA, the PICSS reported that Rahman Gul criticised Zeb for deploying large numbers of fighters simultaneously across multiple locations, arguing that this exposed the outfit's guerrilla force to Pakistani security operations. He reportedly favoured smaller, mobile units conducting limited hit-and-run attacks instead of large-scale offensives.The criticism followed heavy losses for the BLA in Pakistani security forces' retaliatory and follow-up operations. The PICSS estimated that at least 215 BLA fighters were killed within a week, while the outfit acknowledged 96 deaths. The think tank said the large deployments allowed Pakistani forces to identify concentrations of fighters and their operational areas.According to PICSS, the disagreement led to Zeb being sidelined from central decision-making as early as February, with Rahman Gul assuming a greater role in operational and organisational affairs. The BLA was reported to have suffered heavy losses as part of Operation Herof 2. (Image: File) DID HIS WOMEN SUICIDE-ATTACK TACTICS ALIENATE SUPPORT?Zeb's increasing reliance on suicide attacks, including the use of women bombers, also drew criticism. BBC Urdu reported that several analysts believed these tactics had damaged the broader Baloch movement, particularly its support outside Balochistan.Pakistani researcher and analyst Malik Siraj Akbar said, "The BLA leadership could have set a clear moral boundary and avoided involving women in their fight against the state, but despite knowing the negative moral implications of this, they continue to use female suicide bombers, simply because these attacks receive more media coverage."DIG of the Counter-Terrorism Department of Balochistan Aitzar Ahmed Goraya criticised Zeb, alleging that educated young people were being sent to their deaths in suicide attacks even as members of the commander's own family held government jobs. A paramilitary soldier examines a damaged bus at the site of a suicide bombing in Balochistan. (Image: AP) Khurram Iqbal, a counterterrorism expert at Islamabad's Quaid-i-Azam University, told BBC Urdu that the increasing brutality of BLA attacks had weakened its support outside Balochistan."As the BLA's attacks became more brutal, the group's support outside Balochistan declined, and this caused the most damage to the Baloch movement because international public opinion is not favourable towards suicide attacks," he said.Iqbal added that the decline in international support could strengthen arguments for a military operation in Balochistan, potentially benefiting Pakistan's security agencies.RUMOURS OF POISONING IN KANDAHAR, AIRLIFT TO INDIAEven as questions remain over why Bashir Zeb was removed from the BLA's top post, rumours have circulated on social media claiming that he was not ousted but poisoned in Afghanistan Kandahar and was subsequently airlifted to India for medical treatment.An investigation by independent news outlet Sach Suno traced the claims to a series of posts on X by five accounts, which it described as close to the Asim Munir-led Pakistani military establishment.The posts also linked Zeb's ouster to claims of financial disputes within the BLA, including money transfers to Stockholm and Paris, and the alleged failure of Operation Herof 3.One of the posts read: "Bashir Zeb poisoned in Kandahar and Shifted to India. Reports indicate that BLA chief Bashir Zeb was poisoned by one of his close confidants in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and subsequently shifted to India for medical treatment and refuge."However, there is no independent confirmation that Zeb was poisoned or transferred to India. The claims remain unverified. Several social media accounts have claimed that Bashir Zeb was poisoned in Kandahar and evacuated to India for medical treatment. (Image: X) THE BLA'S HISTORY OF INTERNAL SPLITSLeadership disputes within the BLA, which was founded by pro-Independence Baloch leader Hyrbyair Marri in 2000, are not unprecedented.According to BBC Urdu, both Zeb and his predecessor, Aslam Baloch, were expelled from the original BLA faction led by Hyrbyair Marri in December 2017. Aslam was accused of travelling to India for medical treatment without the leadership's approval, while Zeb was accused of violating organisational rules.The two subsequently formed a breakaway faction, also retaining the BLA name, with Aslam as its commander. According to The Diplomat, Aslam's BLA managed to eclipse Marri's BLA thanks to most field commanders and fighters siding with him.Following Aslam's death in a suicide attack in Kandahar in December 2018, Zeb took over its leadership.For now, the circumstances surrounding Bashir Zeb's departure and his whereabouts remain a subject of speculation. Whether or not the BLA can manage the transition without splitting apart again, remains to be seen.- Ends