What terms are needed to define contemporary Balochistan?
 

 

By M. S. Baloch
March 07, 2006

A country and a nation, which has been divided into three pieces, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, without the Baloch nation’s knowledge or consent.

The Baloch nation’s conditions are not better in any state. Economically Baloch are poor; educationally kept backwards and their cities deliberately undeveloped, there is no basic road structure, there is no electricity, and there is no basic heath care. The Baloch are a minority in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, because Baloch are divided in these three states. The Baloch land is vast and sparsely populated. Balochistan is situated on Oman sea coast that is one reason why it’s so attractive to its neighbors. Balochistan is gifted with natural resources Pakistan, a member of United Nations has a monopoly to legitimize use of force against unarmed civilian Baloch and the Baloch have no right to defend their property or family, evidence indicates that the Pakistan is using excessive violence.
60% of the Balochi people are situated within Pakistan. Historic evidence and legend indicates that since 1500AD Balochistan has been a tribal federation and the Baloch an independent nation. Baloch are grouped together without much effort through historical experience. That makes Baloch an organic nation. The Baloch are not a result of nation building, and Balochistan is not a result of nation building.
The Balochistan is a natural territory that, its boundary is divided by cultural differentiation. Artificial European colonial boundaries divided the nation into three separate territories, under control by different states, although connected physically but separated by thousands of miles. The nation has been reduced in status to the point that it is gradually losing its cultural value and language. Centrals government swamp territories with outside colonizer. (Refer to Karachi’s status before creation of Pakistan)

Balochistan under Pakistani occupation

The Baloch were forcibly incorporated into Pakistan in 1948, Baloch had fought four unsuccessful wars against the state of Pakistan, and for the fifth war fate has not decided yet. The Baloch have never stopped fighting this outside domination.
Balochistan has been incorporated through conquest to Pakistan and subordinated through collaboration, the Baloch see they are a colony. Pakistan’s attitude toward Balochistan confirms the fact that Pakistan is a colonizer. For example; Pakistan does not recognize any property right in Balochistan and the Pakistani authority has confiscated land in Balochistan in order to build army containments, Pakistan believe it is not necessary to pay any damage to the land owner whose land has been confiscated. The Pakistani authority destroys homes in order to develop a colony for colonizer or commercial hub. The Pakistani authority exploit natural resources for the benefit of Punjabi and Mohajir, Pakistan does not recognize Balochistan as a federation, but a subdued colony, and use extreme force against the Baloch and manage Balochistan through collaboration, In contrary to the human rights universal declaration and the rights of minorities…
Pakistan has destroyed the Baloch community and the independent institution once Baloch had.
Pakistan does not promote Baloch culture, Pakistan does not support indigenous language, and Pakistan imposes their values on unwilling Baloch.
Balochistan status within Pakistan is deferent from the Sandhi or the Phatan. The Sandhi consented to the creation of Pakistan and voluntarily chose federation; the Phatan voted in referendum in favour of the Pakistan. But the Baloch simply wanted independent Balochistan.
The Baloch simply see the Pakistani as an occupier, the relationship is of the conqueror and the conquered, and Baloch nationalism as the means by which that conquest could bring an end. The Baloch see that Punjabi and Mohajir dominated every aspect of life, Baloch are looking for a solution to end total domination. This may through the desire to bring Baloch society to independent.

Collaboration

The strongest is never strong enough to be always the master unless he transforms strength into right, and obedience into duty.
Collaboration operated in Balochistan through networks of Baloch collaboration. Collaboration worked in Balochistan in two ways, Balochistan has always been a tribal society and tribal leaders were been in competition with each other. Pakistani intelligence services instigate violence between them. Before 1971 Pakistan found itself under pressure from Bangladeshi, and used every trick in the book to deceive Bangladeshi, in the end Pakistan failed and Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan.
After or during 1962 Baloch rebelled, most Baloch nationalist leader and Sardar were jailed. Balochistan was in chaos, by 1972 Baloch nationalist and Sardar found themselves in chief ministerial and govern-ship and subordinating with Pakistan and rule of law returned to Balochistan and false hope to Baloch masses. Less than a year later Balochistan provincial government was dismissed and its leaders were jailed.
Balochistan is a colony of Pakistan indigenous rule is to subordinate and work for benefit of Punjabi and Mohijir. Akbar Bugti is a living example, once subordinator now fugitive. Akbar Bugti committed no offence; his guilt is that he stopped collaborating with Islamabad.
Robinson put it; “when the colonial ruler had run out of indigenous collaboration they either chose to leave or where compelled to go. Their national opponent in the modern elite sooner or later succeeded in detaching the indigenous political elements from the colonial regime until eventually they formed a united front of non collaboration against it. Hence the inversion of collaboration into a non-cooperation largely determined the timing of de-colonization.”
Traditionally tribal leader had been a Pakistani trusted collaborator apart from a few chief. Ordinarily Baloch never had faith in Pakistan, but tribal leaders losing faith in federation and hope for greater autonomy that is the new phenomenon in Balochistan politics.
Second type of collaboration are Islamic ideologist, urban middle classes and those assimilated into Mohijir and Punjabi elite, and traditionally petty tribal chief who has been armed by ISI and encouraged and aspired to become a powerful chief once nationalist and popular chief are defeated. These petty chief are not aware of the complete change in political environment that let themselves to be exploited by the establishment.
System of collaboration has broken down, Pakistani are about to establish a new and more effective system of collaboration. (Yousef and company have not been effective so far).
Autonomy is system of collaboration if breakdown the Pakistan intervenes directly.
What Pakistan wants in Balochistan is time to assimilate more Baloch and build more colonies in Balochistan costal areas in order to reduce Baloch majority inside Balochistan.

Anti-colonial movement emerges as coalition of non-collaboration.
The question in every Baloch mind is that the resistance and non-collaboration in Balochistan is for anti-colonization or an alternative and tactic available to resources.
To the Pakistani it has been seen a tactic terms is shown by a certain leader to extract loyalty from resources, the ability to strike a bargain on what leaders want.
But what is becoming clear to most Baloch is that what Pakistan want, less likely that potential collaboration would be able and willing to co-operate.