section_path: History
section_name: History
paragraph_text: History
  
  BLA was founded in 2000, although some media and analysts speculate that the group is a resurgence of prior Baloch insurgencies, specifically the Independent Balochistan Movement of 1973 to 1977. According to some sources, two former KGB agents code-named 'Misha' and 'Sasha' were among the BLA architects. According to them, BLA was built around the Baloch Student Organization (BSO). BLA disappeared following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan as the USSR withdrew funding.
  
  On 10 February 1973, Pakistani police and paramilitary raided the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad without Iraqi government permission. During the raid, they found a large cache of small arms, ammunition, grenades, and other supplies in crates marked 'Foreign Ministry, Baghdad'; they believed these were meant for Baloch rebels. Pakistan responded by expelling and declaring persona non grata the Iraqi Ambassador, Hikmat Sulaiman, and other consular staff. In a letter to US President Nixon on February 14, Pakistani president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto blamed India and Afghanistan, besides Iraq and the Soviet Union, for involvement in a "conspiracy subversive and irredentist elements which seek to disrupt Pakistan's integrity".
  
  In 2004, BLA began a violent struggle against Pakistan for the separation of Balochistan from Pakistan, conducting terror attacks against non-Baloch minorities in Balochistan.
  
  Pakistan designated the Balochistan Liberation Army as a terrorist organization on 7 April 2006 after the group repeatedly attacked security personnel. On 17 July 2006, the British government followed suit, listing BLA as a "proscribed group" based on the Terrorism Act 2000. However, the U.K. harbored Hyrbyair Marri, suspected BLA leader, as a refugee, despite Pakistan's protest. The group's actions were described as terrorism by the United States Department of State.
  
  On 15 April 2009, Baloch activist Brahamdagh Khan Bugti (accused by the Pakistani government of being a BLA leader), called for Balochis to kill non-Balochis residing in Balochistan, including civilians. Targeted attacks against Punjabi residents began soon after, causing about 500 deaths. BLA leaders later claimed responsibility for inciting the attacks. BLA targeted people from various ethnic backgrounds, including Pashtuns, Sindhis, and Punjabis, whom BLA consider outsiders.
  
  In 2010, BLA attacked schools, teachers, and students in the province.
  
  Due to its opposition to the Gwadar Port City, the group targeted Chinese nationals in a 2019 attack on the Pearl-Continental Hotel.: 60
  
  The United States designated the group as a global terrorist organization on 2 July 2019 and froze BLA assets. The European Union also designated BLA as a terrorist organization.
  
  On 26 April 2022, Shari Baloch, a 30-year old science teacher and mother of two, detonated her explosives in the University of Karachi in Pakistan, killing three Chinese teachers. BLA claimed responsibility for the incident, claiming her as the organisation's first female suicide bomber.
  
  On 18 January 2024, Pakistan carried out strikes on separatist targets in Iran. Pakistani foreign ministry said hideouts used by BLA and BLF were successfully struck in the operation.
  
  On 9 November 2024, BLA claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at the railway station in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. The attack killed 32 people and injured a further 62.