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#FreeBalochistan to #IndependentBalochistan: The Birth of a Nation
“10,000 years a Baloch, 1,400 years a Muslim, 75 years a Pakistani” - Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti
Today, what we see in the Indian subcontinent and the larger South Asian context is something remarkable. The birth of a nation, Balochistan, long impending, has been envisaged, dreamed, and now finally lived. As Baloch freedom fighters across the board celebrate, 11th August has been declared as the independence day of the Republic of Balochistan.
Illustration by The Geostrata
The history of Balochistan is riddled with blood, bullets and barbarism of the Pakistani state. But what has been the underlying cause of Balochistan’s woes today lies in history. And this history is garnished with a treachery so severe that it's still talked about. In the 1940s, the Khan of Kalat, a reigning figure, appointed Muhammad Ali Jinnah as his legal advisor to argue for Kalat and Balochistan's sovereignty before the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946.
A memorandum was submitted, a case was made, and in 1947 a tripartite agreement between British, Pakistani and representatives of Kalat granted it as an independent entity. In various reports and word-of-mouth stories, it's said that the princely state of Kalat gave Pakistan 1,360 kilograms of gold around the time of its independence.
But like all things Pakistani, this promise of sovereignty was short-lived as Kalat was forcefully integrated into Pakistan on 27th March, 1948. There is also this popular belief that the Khan of Kalat had made covert overtures to the Indian leadership of Nehru and Patel; however, they gave the “West Pakistan - East Pakistan analogy of distance”, preventing it from joining India.
The first rebel came from the royal family itself. Prince Abdul Karim of Kalat is widely regarded as the first person to pick up arms against the Pakistan state and its establishment back in 1948, with sons for the treacherous way in which the state was forced to be a part of the artificial entity of Pakistan.
A couple of decades later, as the issue of a separate linguistic identity in the east, which came to be known as Bangladesh, came to the forefront, it became an initiation point for the Baloch freedom movement to get reignited.
It was then General Tikka Khan, the Butcher of Balochistan, who gained the moniker for brutal suppression. It was then that the concept of “torture cells” came up, which later fell into the hands of the Inter -Services Intelligence (ISI), who to date run these sites.
Way back in 2014, in Khuzdar, an unmarked mass grave site was located with over 100 bodies in it, with no investigations into the same. And this is only an anecdotal instance of the repression of the state. From time to time, civil rights groups like Paank have raised these issues, but to the utter disappointment, not much has been done.
In fact, the judiciary, which under people like Justice Iftikaar Chaudhary had tried to bring some semblance of justice, has died down with no judicial investigation or calls for the same since 2006 onwards.
SOCIETY FIGHTS BACK
At the societal level, Balochistan, for ages, has been quite fitted in its tribal identities like the Bugti, Marri, Mengal, amongst others. And since the late 1980s, the Baloch struggle was at different times given the support and leadership of these tribal families themselves. In fact, many among them were even sympathetic to the cause of Pakistan, ready to be with the state and not demand secession.
Their demands were simple: to grant Balochistan what it deserves within the constitutional framework, of whatever is left of the Pakistani constitution. Yet, the Pakistani state, its Punjabi identity and a superiority complex went after every aspect of Baloch life. From their language to their culture to the forceful extraction of their resources to fund the lavish lifestyles of Punjab and Sindh. It won't be an extrapolation to say that it was Baloch resources that funded the Pakistani elite for almost 50 years.
And to ask what the Balochi people got in return. Nawab Akbar Bugti, the all-encompassing Baloch leader, was killed in an air strike. Many families of various tribes were forced to seek asylum and refuge in other countries. People from time to time organise themselves into armed movements with the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and a host of other outfits which primarily had tribal allegiances.
With no coordination and cooperation in the initial days of the armed struggle, the Pakistani state thought that they could use brute force and ways and means to target these organisations and get their way with them.
Another carrot-and-stick tool used by the Punjabi establishment was the interplay of political parties splitting them and creating alliances to suit their short-term needs. Whenever there was a leader of some merit either silenced or pushed into oblivion. The same happened to young leaders like Mohseen Dawar and Ali Wazir, who during their tenure as Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) were either shot or jailed for incessant time periods.
However, then there was light, and in November 2018, a grand alliance of all these militant groups was achieved. The Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar, also known as the Baloch National Freedom Movement, was formed. This culminated in the efforts, tactics and strategies of multiple armed freedom fighters, including the BLA, the BRA, the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), among others. Moreover, the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO), formed in 1967, had a sudden upturn of protests and young cadres, many of whom picked up the weapon and went into the mountains (a phrase used for Baloch freedom fighters).
THE FORCE MULTIPLIER TO INDEPENDENCE
In the recent two years, the alliance amongst the freedom fighters picked up a spate of violence which was unseen. From the raid on Jaffar Express with most Pakistani army casualties. This was followed by Operation Herof 2.0, which coordinated bombing strikes across 10+ regions of Balochistan. Out of the evidence that has come out in the form of Twitter and Instagram posts, the celebration of the common Balochi people is in complete sync with the freedom fighters. Not only this, but Balochistan stands at that intersection of history whereby it has at least the covert collaboration of other fracture lines of Pakistan. With the merger of all factions of Tehreek -E-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and pressure groups like Pashtun Tahfuz Movement (PTM) pulling the other strong, the state seems clueless. Added to the mix has been the constant back and forth with the Taliban government of Afghanistan, which was thought of as an ally/ brethren by the Pakistani establishment. In fact, there have also been a few attacks where Baloch freedom fighters have identified residents of Punjab.
Their opposition to the China- Pakistan Economics (CPEC) corridor has been the other end of a multi -pronged approach to disassociate from the state. With BLA’s suicide wing Majeed Brigade being the most combative, Chinese assets in Balochistan only seem to be a sinking investment. And the best part, Majeed Brigade has some of the most educated and intellectually backed cadres in the entire Baloch freedom struggle with women being equal participants in this freedom struggle. In fact, Maulana Fazlur Rehman (Maulana Diesel), known to tow the line of the state too has made comments against the establishment stating that they have lost control over 80% of Balochistan literally.
A close study of all freedom struggles around the world, especially in the Indian subcontinent and Africa, shows how the presence of a singular figure and a small group around them gives a new life to every such struggle. India had Gandhi, South Africa has Mandela, and today Balochistan has Dr Mahrang Baloch. Her fight for forceful disappearances is personal, as she herself is a victim.
As a founder of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), she has brought to life the struggle of Balochistan, especially that of its women, who not only lose their men to the Punjabi establishment but also face the economic plight of their families. Her work scares the Pakistani army, which forced a trial on her, putting her under life imprisonment. But she fights fiercely and, through her actions and words, has mothered a nation's dream, which today stands on the cusp of reality.
The way her voice pierced back in 2023 through the empty highlands of Balochistan when she challenged the army is a reminder of her “fight”, which earned her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination. Her reminder to the army that this isn't 1948; this is 2023. And this isn't Bengal; this is Balochistan, where every generation will stand against you.
A MESSAGE FROM INDIA
As our Baloch Brothers and sisters stand tall for their tryst with destiny, we congratulate them on their struggle. Our hearts weep along with them in what they have lost in the form of blood, resources and family. But we hope that the future holds for them what wasn't given to them 78 years ago. And I, on behalf of the entire nation of India, salute their grit and see a future of fraternity with them. I hope the Indian government recognises the Republic of Balochistan for its new journey and for finding a true civilizational friend in this neighbourhood and beyond.
BY KAUSHAL SINGH
CENTRE FOR LAW AND POLITICS
TEAM GEOSTRATA
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