Gulzar Imam Elias, nicknamed "Champay", hails from the Bangor region, west of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province. Pakistani authorities hold him responsible for dozens of bombings and armed attacks in the province and abroad.

The Pakistani army announced his arrest in early April after a complex security operation. He is one of the most prominent leaders of the insurgency in Balochistani province, and calls for secession from Pakistan. He joined a Baloch student organization, the Baloch Students Organization (BSO), in 2002, and rose through the organization to one of its famous leaders.