Islamabad
Balochistan has emerged as a canker for Pakistan. It is included in the two provinces of Pakistan, which does not have control over the large territory of Pakistan. In this state, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other rebel groups are running their parallel government. Recently, the Balochistan Liberation Army hijacked a passenger train by bombing the railway track. This incident has brought the voice of Baloch rebels all over the world. In such a situation, the question arises as to why Baloch Awam is forced to take up arms and why is there so much poverty in this state despite resources.
Pakistan claimed that a total of 31 people were killed, and its military operation killed 33 Baloch rebels. However, BLA described these claims as “lies” and said that they had killed 214 hostages in the train, most of whom were military and police personnel. On 16 March, another deadly Bla attack took place in Noshki in which suicide bomber attacked a convoy of paramilitary forces. Overall, BLA took responsibility for 302 attacks alone in 2024, including a bomb blast at Quetta’s main railway station, killing 26 people, including 14 soldiers.
Who is Baloch?
Baloch is a Sunni Muslim ethnic group that lives on either side of the Iran-Pakistan border and in parts of southern Afghanistan. Balochistan is the largest part of the region, followed by Sistan and Balochistan province towards Iran. This area is almost France -shaped. The area has about 9 million Baloch population, which is quite rare due to the geographical scenario. For this reason, they are unable to keep themselves tied to any one state or country.
Balochistan is the largest and lowest population province in the provinces of Pakistan. This province is the poorest in Pakistan, about 70% of the population is classified as ‘poor’. Despite this, Balochistan is rich in natural resources like gold, diamonds, silver and copper. It directly means that the people of the province did not get their share or was not deliberately given. This is one of the many reasons that the people of this state are dissatisfied and are ready to take up arms on their demand.
After partition, Balochistan remained independent under the Treaty of Friendship with the new state of Pakistan until March 1948. Khan of Kalat was the main tribal leader, whose rule was run on most of the region. He was willing to remain independent, but was under great pressure on him to join Pakistan, including the rulers of his feudal, Makran, Las Bella and Kharan. For decades, Baloch has been fighting for his autonomy or freedom, which has been violent oppression on both sides of the border. In Pakistan, such efforts are seen as an effort to fragment the nation – whereas in Iran, Baloch mainly becomes even more complicated due to the Sunni Muslim minority in the Shia country. According to Amnesty International, in Pakistan, more than 10,000 Baloch has disappeared since 2011.
What do we know about Balochistan rebellion?
The turbulent southwest province of Pakistan, which is on the border of Iran and Afghanistan, has been under extremism since the birth of Balochistan in 1948. Violent separatist rebellion, which was primarily with tribal leadership, re -resurrected in 1958, 1962 and 1973. But in the early 2000s, violence took a new turn. The Baloch nationalist, who for a long time accused the Pakistani government and the army of exploiting the mineral resources of Balochistan, torturing its people and rigging its elections, started gathering in organized rebellious forces, who demanded an independent Baloch state. However, this campaign was attacked by sporadic attacks and ambush for many years. But in recent years, extremism gained momentum.
How was the Balochistan Liberation Army formed?
Bla, built in the early 2000s, is the largest Baloch militant group and has been revolting against the Government of Pakistan for decades, demanding Balochistan’s independence and evacuation of China. BLA militants have carried out attacks, especially the Pakistani security forces and Beijing’s CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) project. The majority ethnic Baloch in Balochistan is angry with the Pakistani government as they are improperly exploiting the resources of their region. Pakistan banned BLA in 2006 and the United States declared it a global terrorist organization in 2019.
Who promoted Balochistan movement
After the military coup in 1999, Pervez Musharraf came to power in Pakistan, which increased the separation in Baloch. This is because the Baloch army sees the lack of Baloch representation because Punjabi is dominated by the interests of the people – the main ethnic group in Pakistan which is about 45% of the country’s population. ” A primary complaint of Baloch is the construction of the mega port of Gwadar, which started in 2002 and still continues, the Pakistani government has excluded the Baloch from the Gwadar development process and some Balochs have been employed in the construction of a huge port.
According to a report by the International Affairs Review, another factor enhancing tension between Baloch and the Pakistani government is the murder of the army in 2006 by the army Nawab Akbar Bugti. In 2008, the change in the civil government of President Asif Ali Zadari from Musharraf’s military government helped very little in reducing Baloch dissatisfaction. In 2009, there were 792 attacks in which 386 deaths occurred; About 92% of the attacks were associated with Baloch Nationalist militants. Violence increased in 2010, with 730 attacks, resulting in 600 deaths.
Another reason for the contemporary conflict is the ongoing war in Afghanistan under the leadership of America. It has pushed the Balochs marginalized in two ways. First, the war began to come to Balochistan of Pashtun refugees from Afghanistan, decreasing the number of Baloch population in their own province. Second, the arrival of extremist militants increased the number of federal army and paramilitary forces in the province, causing Baloch nationalists nervous. Several displaced Taliban soldiers who fled from Afghanistan have settled in Balochistan. In fact, the provincial capital Quetta has become the real capital of Al Qaeda and Taliban in Pakistan.
India has a chance in Balochistan?
It has become difficult for Pakistan to handle Balochistan. In such a situation, India has a chance to take full advantage of Balochistan’s instability. It is considered normal to do so in international diplomacy, because almost every country in the world is involved in such work. For example, in many states of the Northeast including Jammu and Kashmir of India, Pakistan promoted terrorism and instability. At the same time, China also provided military assistance to the Maoists and other rebel groups of the Northeast. In such a situation, India can also force Pakistan to kneel by increasing its presence in Balochistan.
