section_path: Funding
section_name: Funding
paragraph_text: Funding
  
  David Wright-Neville wrote that besides Pakistan, some Western observers claimed that India funds BLA. In August 2013, US Special Representative James Dobbins said, "The dominant infiltration of militants is from Pakistan into Afghanistan, but we recognize that there is some infiltration of hostile militants from the other direction. So Pakistan's concerns aren't groundless. They are simply, in our judgment, somewhat exaggerated." Following arrest of an alleged BLA terrorist namely Brohi, according to CTD Karachi officials, Brohi confessed to collecting millions of rupees through extortion and ransom after joining the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
  
  Yunas Samad reported that Hyrbyair Marri has been the group's leader since 2007. However, in an interview in 2015, Marri denied having any contact with the group. Hyrbyair's brother, Balach, led the group from 2000 until he was killed in 2007. Moreover, it is also reported that BLA is actively involved in kidnapping for ransom activities and it has developed a dedicated setup for kidnapping, ransom collection, and sharing it with top leadership.
  
  According to Pakistan's Counter Terrorism Department, a captured suspected BLA member confessed to raising millions of rupees for the BLA through extortion and ransom. According to the Ministry of Petroleum, the BLA and the Balochistan Liberation Front were directly involved in smuggling Iranian oil. By 2024, 2.8 billion liters of smuggled oil - worth 227 billion rupees in government revenue - entered Pakistan; smuggling was temporarily depressed during Anwaar ul Haq Kakar 's caretaker government from 2023-2024.