page_title: Baloch Students Organization
section_title: BSO Azad (2006–)
hierarchical_section_title: Baloch Students Organization / BSO Azad (2006–)
caption_attribution_description: English: 29 year-old Karima Baloch, a psychology student leads the Baloch Students Organization in Pakistan in a video to the PM
context_page_description: The Baloch Students Organization is a student organisation that campaigns for the students of Pakistan's Balochistan Province. It was founded as a student movement on 26 November 1967 in Karachi and remains the largest ethnic Baloch student body in the country. It got divided due to ideological differences. BSO Pajjar and BSO Mengal affiliated itself with the parliamentary framework of Pakistan. Dr Allah Nazar, founder of pro independence wing, In 2002 while he was studying in college, he created a breakaway faction — BSO–Azad — that advocated struggle for an independent Balochistan based on pre-colonial Baloch country. The Pakistani government banned the BSO Azad on 15 March 2013, as a terrorist organisation.
  There is an alleged link between BSO and India, with Pakistan accusing the Indian intelligence agency RAW of having "assets" within BSO, an allegation denied by India and activists in BSO.
context_section_description: BSO–Azad was originally formed in 2002 from the members of BSO–Hayee who wanted to remain independent of political parties. According to some commentators, it advocated armed struggle for an independent Balochistan. Allah Nazar Baloch, who later became a separatist fighter, was its founder-chairman when he was still a medical student.
  In 2003, BSO–Star, which was similarly made of members seeking independence from political parties in BSO–Mengal, merged with BSO–Azad, and the combined organization was called BSO–Muttahida (or "BSO–United"). More often, it was simply called "the BSO," recognizing its claim to be the main students organization. Malik Baloch and Imdad Baloch served as its chairmen till 2005. In March 2005, Imdad Baloch, and other activists were abducted from a flat in Karachi by security forces and tortured.
  In December 2005, the Balochistan conflict intensified with the Army starting operations in Dera Bugti and Kohlu. Following this, the BSO–Aman (the affiliated faction of BSO–Mengal) led by Amanullah Baloch and BSO–Hayee led by Asif Baloch also merged with BSO–Muttihada forming a united BSO. Bashir Zaib Baloch served its chairman from 2006 to 2011. He was followed by Zahid Baloch, who was allegedly abducted by unidentified gunmen in March 2014.
  The BNP and the NP, having lost their affiliated factions to the unified BSO, started new student wings and gave them the name of "BSO." The student wing of National Party is called BSO–Pajjar and that of BNP is called BSO–Mohiuddin. The unified BSO now calls itself BSO–Azad to distinguish itself from these student wings. However, it is not to be confused with the original BSO–Azad started by Allah Nazar.
  The original BSO–Azad is said to have been formed from the "most militant sections" of the BSO. It advocated radical struggle for `national liberation' and stood for full independence for Balochistan. After its consolidation by Allah Nazar Baloch in 2002, when he was a medical student, the group is said to have obtained wide support among the Baloch students. Senior columnist of Dawn, Nadeem F. Paracha, states that it was directly involved in the formation of insurgency groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army and Baloch Republican Army.
  The Pakistani state is said to view the organization with such concern as to ban it in 2013, a month before the elections. The Asian Human Rights Commission condemned the ban and severely castigated the Pakistan government. It said that "in an effort to show the international community that it is taking action against the fundamentalist and religious terrorist organizations," the government has banned three secular and nationalist organizations instead, while it showed "continued loyalties towards the Taliban and similar terrorist groups."
  Its leader Zahid Baloch was abducted in March 2014. His whereabouts are not known. 29 year-old Karima Baloch, a psychology student, then became the leader. Karima insists that the organization uses peaceful means by carrying out demonstrations and marches. It aims to raise the political awareness of the people. However, she has also added that any struggle against injustice is legitimate, whether "peaceful or armed." Malik Siraj Akbar, a Harvard-based political analyst, calls it a "very unique organization that does not have any parallels in Pakistan." It is one of the very few organizations that have managed to mobilize women at a social and political level. In 2016 Karima was chosen as one of BBC's 100 Women
  Allah Nazar, the one-time founder of the organization is now the commander of the Baloch Liberation Front, which wages an armed struggle for the state's liberation. The former leader Zahid Baloch was abducted in Quetta in March 2014 in front of eyewitnesses by men who arrived in SUVs used by the Pakistan Army. Zahid was made to squat on the road and hit on the head several times, after which he was blindfolded and taken away. The Police have refused to register a complaint. The organization has been protesting his abduction ever since. The organization also called for a nationwide s
caption: Karima Baloch in a video message to the Indian Prime Minister
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