Qazi: Commander who Reconceived BLA’s Structure and Strategy

Post-mortem Publication Militant Leadership Monitor Pakistan Volume 17, Issue 1

Executive Summary:

Abdul “Qazi” Basit Zehri became a central strategist after joining the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in 2006, fundamentally transforming the group’s organizational and military structure before his death from health issues in 2025.
Qazi is credited with modernizing the BLA by expanding urban guerrilla warfare, establishing intelligence wings, and enhancing non-military capabilities—including media, cyber operations, and logistical networks—across Balochistan and Sindh.
The BLA is expected to remain lethal despite the potential for Qazi’s death to create a leadership void—likely through recruiting younger, radicalized militants and complicating state peace efforts by rejecting traditional tribal authority.

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