The Pakistani Army claimed on April 7 that it arrested the leader of an armed group that has been responsible for numerous attacks as the country’s national security committee said it plans to launch a new nationwide operation to root out Islamist militants.
The public relations office of the army said it arrested Gulzar Imam, known as Shamba, in an operation but did not say where and when the arrest took place.
Gulzar Imam is the founder and leader of the illegal armed group called the Baloch National Army, which is responsible for "dozens of bloody attacks" in Pakistan, including assaults on law enforcement agencies, a statement from the army’s public relations office said.
The Baloch National Army was formed in the merger of two other armed groups -- the Baloch Republican Army and the United Baloch Army, it said.
Baloch separatist groups mentioned in the statement have not responded to the army's claims, but in November a group called the Baloch Nationalist Army sent a statement to the media claiming that Gulzar Imam was in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence agencies.
Baloch separatists have been active in Pakistan's Balochistan Province for years and they demand the province's independence.
Pakistani Army and paramilitary forces have been stationed in Balochistan for almost two decades and have continued to carry out operations against armed groups there.
The separatists have claimed responsibility for attacks on Pakistani security forces, government officials, and on Chinese workers who are in Pakistan working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects.
Baloch separatist groups allege that the Chinese are trying to capture equipment that belongs to Balochistan with the help of the Pakistani government, and that is why they are attacking them.
Beijing has invested billions of dollars in infrastructure projects in various areas of Pakistan under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor program.
The national security committee made its announcement about plans to launch an operation against the militants after a committee meeting on April 7 chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by the country's military leadership.
"The meeting agreed to launch an all-out comprehensive operation with the entire nation and the government, which will rid the country of the menace of terrorism with renewed vigor and determination," the security committee said in a statement.
The security committee said it formed a commission to make recommendations regarding the details of the operation within two weeks.
Pakistan has seen a rise in attacks by Islamist militants in the last few months following the breakdown of negotiations last year with the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group.
The group and its factions have unleashed a wave of attacks this year. One suicide bombing at a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed more than 100 people, mostly policemen.
The January 30 attack on the Sunni mosque located inside a high-security police facility was one of the deadliest that targeted Pakistani security forces in recent years. Some 221 people were also wounded in the bombing.