Separatist groups in balochistan accuse the pakistani state of denying the provinces people rights and. Pdf a wave of contemporary insurgency in balochistan. Balochistan has been teetering on the brink of collapse for many years. Balochistan is pakistans largest, but least developed province, which is home to over million people, mostly balochis. This merger was developing sense of deprivation and. It is the largest province in the country, covering 44 percent of the total area. Rich in natural resources like natural gas, oil, coal, copper. Any social structures in balochistan capable of containing the rise of radicalism have been weakened by repressive tactics. Pakistans balochistan insurgency requires political, not. The worsening conflict in balochistan crisis group. As the province now gains geopolitical importance, more attention is now being given to the separatist insurgency in the province. Continued failure to address sectarian violence will only exacerbate the general breakdown in law and order in balochistan.
Geostrategic importance of balochistan 185 changing political scenarios at local, national, regional, and global level. Pakistans other war the ongoing conflict in the remote province of balochistan is often called pakistans dirty war. A power vacuum is emerging, creating a potentially explo sive situation that abuts the most vulnerable provinces of afghanistan. His functional interests include ethnic conflict, terrorism, and stability operations. An analysis of the issue and conflict with state 57 rehana saeed hashmi baloch ethnicity. Balochistan chief minister mir abdul quddus bizenjo has said that because of concrete steps taken by the government, insurgency is on. Cpec and the baloch insurgency the diplomat all sections search. Introduction three decades after the 19731977 insurrection in balochistan, a lowlevel insurgency again challenges central control over the province. President bhutto ordered army to enter balochistan and hostilities between the pakistani army and the balochi rebels reached a high point in 1974. Its contents were merged into insurgency in balochistan. Internal and external factors in balochistan conflict abdul rauf iqbal.
The following projects have been planned in balochistan under cpec. This set off the most violent insurgency that balochistan had seen to date. Balochistan has witnessed regular insurgencies since pakistan annexed the autonomous baloch state of kalat in 1948. Balochistan, the largest but least populous province of pakistan, is slowly descending into. Kalat also argued that in case of a vote in the leased areas between joining kalat and joining pakistan then the. Pdf understanding the insurgency in balochistan researchgate.
Balochistan insurgency fourth conflict 197377 led by nawab khair baksh marri. Since 2003, there have been 918 deaths caused by suicide attacks in balochistan. In a rare interview given to a local daily paper in balochistan two years. Human rights in balochistan amnesty international usa. Balochistan has historically been mired in conflicts that have shaken the security apparatus from within.
Pakistan studies presentation bismillaherehmanerahim balochistan issue 2. After helping east pakistan to secede in 1971 by fostering an insurgency, india tried the same model in balochistan exploiting the disaffection between the state and the dissident sardars. The roots of the conflict, like indias kashmir issue, go back to the countrys independence. His son, balaach marri, led the balochistan liberation army from 2000 until his assassination in 2007. What is pakistans balochistan insurgency and why is india.
International powers fanning insurgency in balochistan. Kalat to merge with pakistan, but the khan of kalat and the. Continuing violence and its implications 49 this led to the first armed insurgency in 1948 organised by prince karim, the brother of the khan. By ahmad naveed noormal brandeis university this paper will address the root causes of the conflict in the baluchistan province of pakistan. Understanding pakistans baloch insurgency the diplomat. Pdf the management and incorporation of ethnic identities in pakistan has historically been far. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected article, please see its history. Abstract simmering tension in balochistan is the cause of multiple factors. Balochistan house is said to be an affiliate of the. Marri and bugti claimed that the security situation in balochistan has worsened soon after the announcement of the gwadar economic corridor project, which.
Insurgency in balochistan jason heeg baluch sarmachar. And the decision to merge the levies force with police should. Ten things you must know about the balochistan conflict now. Balochistan insurgency 197377 a longdormant crisis erupted in balochistan in 1973 into an insurgency that lasted four years and became increasingly bitter. This article examines the insurgency in balochistan and evaluates various perspectives that. Fmso conducts unclassified research on foreign perspectives of defense and. Pashtunmajority lands merged into a separate administrative unit, the chief. Pakistan is battling its own baluch separatist insurgency. Creating a strong baloch identity india will have to work on strengthening the.
A violent insurgency in the balochmajority districts of. Even in the two balochistan conflicts national selfdetermination has remained an outside option a rallying cry, or a warning on the part of the insurgents and counterinsurgencies in pakistan at a time when insurgencies have been making headlines across. Over much of the last seven decades the conflict has rumbled on at a relatively low intensity, punctuated by five distinct periods of heightened violence. This is perhaps best described in a recent video testimony by shafiq mengal, once a small player in the conflict but now one of its main. Balochistan, insurgency and the cpec pakistan defence.
This merger was developing sense of deprivation and neglectfulness in the baloch people. Explaining the resilience of the balochistan insurgency. So where is balochistans decadelong insurgency headed. Root causes of conflict in baluchistan, pakistan beyond. The revival of insurgency in balochistan 253 included the murder of three chinese engineers working on the gwadar port project, an attack on the chief ministers convoy and the attack on the sui airport building. The state is now divided between pakistan and iran. Benefits for balochistan 5, 2016 trade, transportation, and economic activity.
India began meddling in afghanistan in the mid 1970s. Back ground balochistan is the largest province of pakistan geographically 27 districts 44 % of pakistan 3. Balochistan is pakistans largest province in terms of territory and also its least populated. Bhutto dismissed the coalition government of baluchistan in 1973 on the grounds of its alleged encouragement of a. The state was merged into the federation to become its largest province. Balochistan is one of the four provinces of pakistan. Background the landscape of baluchistan is comprised of an area over half a million square kilometers in the. Next year will signal 70 years since the beginning of a fierce separatist insurgency fought in pakistans troubled southern province of balochistan. After almost seven years of military rule, deprived of representative participatory institutions and with their natural resources exploited by. The insurgency was put down by the pakistan army, which employed brutal methods and equipment, including hueycobra helicopter gunships, provided by iran and flown by iranian pilots. The discussion was closed on 21 july 2012 with a consensus to merge.
The 1970s insurgency was also put down, though, unlike bugti, sardar survived. Balochistans human resources and the baloch people mansel longworth dames points out in the baloch race, the importance of sardari system and paints a picture of life of balochistan with nomads. The insurgency in balochistan is a lowintensity insurgency waged by baloch nationalists. Research paper by mickey kupecz mickey kupecz is an m. Mixed in the ensuing protests against this move of the president were new calls for balochistans secession. Insurgency has lost steam, says balochistan cm pakistan. His degree focuses on the south asia region, particularly pakistan. The balochistan insurgency is an enduring armed and nationalist struggle between. The port will be a catalyst for industrial production on a mass scale. The insurgency in balochistan is a low intensity insurgency waged by baloch nationalists against the governments of pakistan and iran in the balochistan region, which covers the balochistan province in southwestern pakistan, sistan and baluchestan province in southeastern iran, and the balochistan region of southern afghanistan. Balochistan 14 balochistan, afghanistan 16 sistan and baluchestan province 17 balochi music 20 balochistan conflict 22 mehrgarh 27 references article sources and contributors 31 image sources, licenses and contributors 32 article licenses license 33.
Unveiling the mystery of balochistan insurgency tariq saeedi in ashgabat with sergi pyatakov in moscow, ali nasimzadeh in zahidan, qasim jan in kandahar and s m kasi in quetta additional reporting by rupa kival in new delhi and mark davidson in washington deception and treachery. Balochistan carnegie endowment for international peace. That being said, india can use many ways to separate balochistan from pakistan. Balochistan has not been a stranger to separatist insurgencies since pakistan gained independence from the british in 1947. Insurgency in balochistan jason heeg the foreign military studies office fmso at fort leavenworth, kansas is an open source research organization of the u. The ripple effects of pakistans balochistan insurgency. Key conclusions the baloch separatist movement in pakistan is occurring in a changing geopolitical context that will see balochistans strategic value increase for regional and international powers. Balaachs portrait, wearing a baloch cap and holding an. Balochistan liberation army is a listed terrorist organization not only under the law of pakistan but also other countries including the uk. Balochistan stands to gain little from the massive project, despite being in desperate need of economic opportunity. A constant insurgency in balochistan i s becoming a great threat to the i mage and development of pakistan as it would split the nation in different ethnic groups as it has gai ned t he status of. Despite several pledges to improve the law and order situation and put an end to human rights abuses in balochistan, pakistans government has. A wave of contemporary insurgency in balochistan iosr journal.
The sistan and baluchistan province of iran has long been associated with instability and armed conflict. Attacks on teachers and schools in pakistans balochistan province pdf. Free and fair elections in 2007 would restore participatory representative institutions, reducing tensions between the centre and the province, empowering. To explore such compelling questions one needs to be aware of balochistans relations with the federation of pakistan in a historical context and analyse the underlining causes of underdevelopment of balochistan by. In this backdrop, a low intensity insurgency has festered in balochistan for a few decades now. In the first part of this paper i will briefly discuss the history of the conflict, and will look into the root causes.
Under british rule a part of balochistan was named british balochistan. Their history represents an unending saga of treachery and discrimination by the ruling elite in islamabad. Its important to understand that the violence in balochistan is not just a question of terrorist safe havens. The military can retain control over balochistans territory through sheer force, but it cannot defeat an insurgency that has local support.
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