Rising Baloch Nationalism

Terrorism has been seen and felt very frequently in many parts of the world, such as, the Middle East, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, U.S.A. etc. But what has happened inside Pakistan for a long time would baffle anybody. Since Pakistan is one of the perpetrators of this evil phenomenon, it is getting it back from Balochistan Liberation Army(BLA), founded in 2000. It is a militant organisation regularly targeting armed forces of Pakistan, civilians and foreign nationals. It was preceded by BLF, founded in 1964.

Two former KGB agents, code named Misha and Sasha, were among its architects. For them, Sindhis and Punjabis are outsiders or settlers. It targets Chinese also as they are involved in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor(est.cost 61 Billion Dollars),Belt & Road initiative and development of Gwadar as a deep sea port. An emerging business hub, it was a colony of Oman for more than a century till Pakistan took it over in 1960’s.

Balochistan, a neglected province of Pakistan having eight divisions and 36 districts, is an extensive plateau of rough but beautiful terrain wherein dry desert climate prevails. It has many attractive tourist attractions. 2022 massive floods of Pakistan impacted it severely.

Balochistan Assembly having 65 seats has 11 seats reserved for women and 3 for non-Muslims. Once a Hindu Sewa dynasty used to rule over Kalat division and a Bania would become Finance Minister invariably.

Importance of Banias in Balochistan is also clear from the fact that they are a historically important community taking part in trade, banking and money lending activities.

Abounds In Natural Resources

Mainland Pakistan extracts maximum out of this province having 44% area of Pakistan, without bothering for commensurate returns to local population.

Afterall, 36% of the country’s natural gas production and reserves of coal, gold, copper, silver, platinum, aluminium and uranium are located in this sparsely populated area (5.94% population of Pakistan). It is, therefore, a vast estate to plunder.

It has distinct and self-reliant Baloch and Pashtun, semi nomadic tribes, used to hardship of isolation and inhospitable terrain. Barely 5% of land is arable.

Kill & Dump

Owing to relative deprivation, it has become breeding ground for unrest and insurgency. Disappearances galore and extra judicial killings are frequent. ‘Kill and dump’ operations of the Pakistan Government continue. According to the Pakistan Supreme Court, intelligence agencies and security forces have been involved in such gory acts.

On the other hand, unarmed Punjabi civilians- Professors, School teachers, students and labourers have been also killed by Baloch people as they have a common dislike for exploitation by the outsiders. Resultantly, thousands of Punjabis and Sindhis known as ‘ settlers’ have also fled Balochistan.

Issues That Matter

Balochis in general have deeply felt their under representation in politics, bureaucracy and armed forces.They have inadequate allocation of funds as compared to other provinces of Pakistan.

Percentage of unemployment is very high.

When it comes to poverty, 62 % of the population is below the poverty line. It was 50.9% in 2005-06.People also have low levels of human development indices.

Human rights violations happening frequently are prominent.Large Army presence in the province has led to occupation of considerable land belonging to locals.

Means Adopted

Means adopted by BLA against Government of Pakistan are Assassinations, Suicide bombing, targeting civilians, attack on para military forces, kidnapping and ethnic cleansing.These are going on from 2018 onwards.

Incidents Of Recent Past

Balochistan presents a mosaic of conflicts and fault lines with multiple layers of violence.Though Baloch rebels have been active for long, their operations have got a certainly boost about seven to eight years ago. It seems to have acquired grass root support and momentum of its own.

Attack On Chinese

Three Chinese teachers and one Pakistani were killed in University of Karachi on April 26, 2022, when Shari Baloch, aged 30 years, mother of two, detonated her explosives. She was the first female suicide bomber.

Earlier on November 23, 2018, four Chinese nationals were killed at the Chinese Consulate in Karachi. In another attack in 2019 on a hotel, Chinese nationals were targeted.

Other Attacks

On August 26, 2024, fourteen people, mostly soldiers, were killed in a series of attacks in Balochistan.

On November 9, 2024, BLA claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at Quetta Railway station in which 32 persons were killed and 62 were injured.

In a most recent episode on March 11, 2025, BLA terrorists dared to hijack the whole train-Jaffar Express(Quetta-Peshawar) in which 21 civilians, 26 security personnel and 33 militants died. According to Pakistan authorities, 354 passengers were rescued after a 36 hour stand off.Train services to the region have been put on hold after this incident.It is bound to add to the sufferings of common man.

WIDE RANGING IMPACT

Significant and wide ranging consequences can be seen due to efforts to espouse and perpetuate Baloch nationalism, such as:

* Grievances of common people get affected,

* Due to effect on agriculture, business & industry, livelihood of people will and has suffered,

* Health & Education sectors have been worst victims,

* Living conditions are deteriorated,

* There is erosion of human rights and civil liberties and

* People may be compelled to seek asylum.

Foreign Hand ?

Pakistan has blamed India and Afghanistan for helping Baloch rebels. But BLA is actually operating from safe havens in Southern Afghanistan for years. Support from Afghanistan is but obvious as Baloch people are settled both in Afghanistan and Iran.

Though India has denied having any hand in the activities of BLA, Prime Minister Modi has expressed concern for Baloch cause in one of his Independence Day speeches. A few Baloch leaders are reported to have received medical treatment in New Delhi.

On June 8, 2015, the Home Minister of Balochistan had accused Indian P.M. of supporting terrorism. He went on to implicate R & AW of being responsible for some attacks on their military bases.

It has been lately learnt that the U.S.A. is also likely to evince interest in Balochistan affairs. U.S. presence in this troubled area may be a threat to the Chinese activities, U.S. may keep an eye on Iran through land border as also through Gwadar port and Pakistan, per se, may be compelled to review its current Balochistan outlook.

Conclusion

Balochistan, larger in size than France, has seen co- existence of Dravidians, Hindus, Christians and Muslims.They have lived in harmony unlike in other parts of Pakistan.

It is a glaring example of a situation where military response alone can not bring peace and stability. Locals have felt deprived and benefited very little from development projects. If Baloch have to be calmed, economic and political issues shall have to be addressed. It is a struggle for economic justice and cultural identity.

The present Prime Minister of Pakistan has acknowledged that lack of development was an obstacle in eliminating terrorism in Balochistan.

All said and done, B.L.A. is a secular entity.It may not succeed in its goals, but its low intensity and unpredictable strikes may continue.

(Alok K.Shrivastava is former Chief Secretary, Sikkim)