Balochistan Liberation Army: Pakistan’s Rising Militant Challenge
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is fighting for the independence of Balochistan, a resource-rich but politically marginalised region in Pakistan. In pursuit of that goal, the group have evolved both their offline and online strategies, from suicide bombings to increasingly sophisticated online propaganda. Now, experts are warning the BLA could represent the most significant internal threat Pakistan faces.
In this episode, host Lucas Webber is joined by Riccardo Valle, a researcher specialising in jihadism, armed groups, and regional politics in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Together, they unpack the rise of the BLA, its growing presence on social media and messaging platforms, and the unique role women play in the group’s operations.
🎧 Listen to learn:
➡︎ The origins of the BLA
➡︎ About their sophisticated online media campaign
➡︎ About the group’s female suicide bombers
➡︎ How Pakistan is responding to the BLA’s threat
➡︎ How the group has become Pakistan's biggest internal threat
📱Connect with Riccardo Valle.
⚡Follow Tech Against Terrorism on Bluesky and LinkedIn.
🌐Check out the Tech Against Terrorism website.
💬 Connect with our host, Lucas Webber.
📄 Read a full transcript of this episode here.
🎙️ An OG Podcasts Ltd production.
Tech Against Terrorism
Want to learn more about how terrorists and violent extremists are using the internet to communicate and share propaganda? Perhaps you’re interested in why terrorists share their manifestos online and livestream their attacks? The Tech Against Terrorism podcast is a deep dive into the evolving use of the internet by terrorists and violent extremists, how this relates to real world harms, and what can be done to support the tech sector to disrupt this threat. Join us as we speak to the world’s leading experts in this field and uncover everything from the online propaganda behind an IS prison break in Syria, to the online network of neo-Nazis behind a foiled terrorist plot in Texas.
- No. of episodes: 79
- Latest episode: 2025-07-17
- Society & Culture Technology
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