Mehran Marri (Urdu: مهران مری; born March 24, 1972) is a British-Pakistani Baloch separatist and militant leader,[2] currently serving as the head of United Baloch Army (UBA), a militant organization which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Pakistan and Switzerland.[3]
Mehran Marri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | March 24, 1973 |
| Nationality | British[1] |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Father | Khair Bakhsh Marri |
| Relatives | Changez Marri (brother) Balach Marri (brother) Ghazan Marri (brother) Hyrbyair Marri (brother) Hamza Marri (brother) Brahamdagh Bugti (brother-in-law) |
On 16 November 2017, Mehran Marri was arrested at Zurich Airport by Swiss immigration authorities. Shortly after his arrest, Mehran Marri was placed under lifetime ban on entry to Switzerland. Swiss authorities issued a chargesheet in which they stated that Mehran Marri is the head of United Baloch Army (UBA).[2] The chargesheet further stated that "if Marri was to enter Switzerland and work with Brahamdagh Bugti to coordinate terrorist operations, it could jeopardize the internal security of Switzerland".[3][4][5]
However, after some time, Marri was released and deported by the Swiss authorities from Switzerland. Marri currently resides in United Kingdom. Marri's brother Balach Marri was the head of Baloch liberation army (BLA), a global terrorist organisation, until his death in a NATO airstrike in Afghanistan. After Balach Marri's death, Hyrbyair Marri took control of the Baloch liberation army.
Mehran Marri was born in Quetta, Pakistan, where his father spent five years in Hyderabad Jail. He along with his brother Hyrbyair live in England, while their brother Changez is chief of the Marri tribe and a politician in Pakistan.[6] Mehran Marri was born in Quetta in 1972, he was named Kohi Zamuran, name later changed to Mehran and year of birth changed to 1973 on Afghan Passport. In 1973 his father was in Quetta Balochistan from where he was arrested and spent nearly five years in prison so how can be born in Afghanistan when both his parents were in Pakistan.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Shah, Murtaza Ali (10 July 2015). "Baloch leaders keep low profile in UK". The News. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Baloch human rights activist Mehran Marri detained". Times of India. 17 November 2017. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Swiss banned Mehran Baluch over 'risks' to security". The News International. 17 November 2017. Archived from the original on 18 November 2017.
- ^ Gazain Marri shuns separatist agenda, vows to join mainstream politics, 16 January 2018, Pakistan Today.
- ^ Switzerland shoots down Brahumdagh Bugti's asylum plea, 23 November 2017, Daily Pakistan.
- ^ Kunwar, Hassan Masood (6 September 2016). "India is backing a lost cause". Daily Times. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
Two sons of Khair Bakhsh Marri, Harbiyar Marri — who was a member of the provincial assembly until the 1999 military coup — and Mehran Marri, born in Afghanistan while Khair Bakhsh Marri was in exile, are still senior leaders of the separatist movement.