What is Majeed Brigade, BLA's suicide outfit that hijacked train in Pakistan? Know about its operations, funding, cadres

After the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked Jaffarabad Express that was going from Quetta in Sindh to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday and came out in the open to claim the responsibility, all eyes were set on Majeed Brigade, the suicide brigade that is known for its suicide attack on selected targets in Pakistan. 

Though Majeed Brigade has not come out openly to claim its hand behind the attack, the daring attack and how it has been carried out, indicate its role.

What is Majeed Brigade?

Established in 1974, the Majeed Brigade hogged the headlines on April 27, 2022, when Shari Baloch blew herself in Karachi University's Confucius Institute. 

She became the first woman suicide bomber in Balochistan's struggle for sovereignty and independence from Pakistan. 

Majeed Langove Senior was the group's first suicide bomber who targeted then-Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in August 1974. Bhutto survived the attack, but the Majeed Brigade was known for the first time. 

Majeed Langove Junior was killed in March 2010 in Quetta’s Wahdat Colony as he took command against security forces so that his comrades could escape. 

Majeed Brigade is named after these two brothers. 

The group known for its suicide attacks lost its clout due to lack of money, sophisticated weapons and cadres and remained dormant for eight years. 

Earlier attacks of Majeed Brigade

However, the Majeed Brigade resurfaced in August 2018, when it carried out a suicide attack as founder Aslam Achlu's son Rehan Aslam Baloch slammed an explosive-laden bus against a car carrying a Chinese diplomat. 

Two months later, suicide bombers of Majeed Brigade hit the Chinese Consulate in Karachi. They also targeted Gwadar’s Pearl Continental Hotel on May 11, 2019, and the Pakistan Stock Exchange on, June 29, 2020.

Why is Majeed Brigade so lethal?

According to Washington-based conservative defence policy thinktank Jamestown Foundation, the Majeed Brigade is so much lethal because it has well-oiled units of logistics, which handles the transportation and deployment of suicide bombers, an intelligence unit, which selects targets and conducts reconnaissance, and an operations unit, which recruits, trains and deploy the suicide bombers.

Baloch diaspora funds Majeed Brigade

The CIA-raised foundation also found in its study that 
the Majeed Brigade gets money on a regular basis from Baloch dissidents and diaspora settled in Europe, North America, including the US, and the Middle East. 

Pakistan has accused India of funding the BLA and its associate brigade, a charge vehemently denied by New Delhi. 

Where from Majeed Brigade get weapons?

The Jamestown Foundation has said in its report that Majeed Brigade posses a well-oiled machinery that procures highly sophisticated weapons. 

They can boast of improvised explosive devices (IED), anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, grenades and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). 

They also have a cache of automatic weapons like M4 rifles as well as BM-12, 107MM, 109MM type.

Modus Operandi

The modus operandi of Majeed Brigade is quite different from other terrorist groups. 

It helps its suicide bombers select their targets and they decide if they have to attack that target. 

Unlike other groups, the Majeed Brigade allows its cadres to go to the masses, and meet their family members before they are sent on the mission.  

Most importantly, the suicide bombers have the liberty of refusing the command to attack and they can withdraw from the mission whenever they want. 

Most of the suicide bombers of the Majeed Brigade come to the organization on their own wish, most of them are those, whose family members or friends have been persecuted by the Pakistani Army. 

First female suicide bomber: Shari Baloch

Shari Baloch, the first female bomber of the brigade, was a mother of two and a post-graduate from Karachi University.

In a statement recorded before she had gone on the suicide mission, she said that she could lead a comfortable life with her husband and children. But she chose martyrdom to liberate her motherland Balochistan from the clutches of the Pakistani state.