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Insurgency in Balochistan

April 18, 2023

The Insurgency in Balochistan is an insurgency[34][13] or revolt[35] by Baloch nationalists and Islamist militants 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. Rich in natural resources like natural gas, oil, coal, copper, sulphur, fluoride and gold, this is the largest, least populated and least developed province in Pakistan.[36] Armed groups demand greater control of the province's natural resources and political autonomy. Baloch separatists have attacked civilians from other ethnicities throughout the province.[37] In the 2010s, attacks against the Shia community by sectarian groups—though not always directly related to the political struggle—have risen, contributing to tensions in Balochistan.[38][39] In Pakistan, the ethnic separatist insurgency is low-scale but ongoing mainly in southern Balochistan, as well as sectarian and religiously motivated militancy concentrated mainly in northern and central Balochistan.[40]

Insurgency in Balochistan

Map of Pakistan's major ethnic groups, showing the territorial extent of the Baloch people (denoted in pink) stretching into Iran and Afghanistan.
DateJuly 1948 – present[10] (74 years and 9 months)
Main Phases:
    • 1948
    • 1958–59
    • 1963–69
    • 1973–77
    • 2004–12
    • 2012–present
Location
Balochistan, Iran–Pakistan border:
Status

Ongoing[11][12][13]

Belligerents

 Pakistan

Forces involved:

 Iran[5][6]

Forces involved:

Baloch separatist groups:

Sectarian groups

Commanders and leaders

Arif Alvi
(President of Pakistan; 2018–present)
Shehbaz Sharif
(Prime Minister of Pakistan; 2022–present)

Ali Khamenei
(Supreme Leader of Iran; 1989–present)
Ebrahim Raisi
(President of Iran; 2021–present)

Karim Khan (POW)
Nauroz Khan (POW)
Khair Bakhsh Marri  †
Balach Marri  †
Aslam Baloch, alias Achu †[17]
Abdul Nabi Bangulzai †[18]
Hyrbyair Marri[19]
Allah Nazar Baloch
Brahumdagh Bugti[20]
Haji Wali Kalati [21]
Mehran Marri[22]
Javed Mengal[19]

Dad Shah  †
Abdolmalek Rigi  
Abdolhamid Rigi  
Muhammad Dhahir Baluch[23]
Salahuddin Farooqui[24]
Amir Naroui †[24]
Strength

 Pakistan: 145,000[25][26]

Iran: Unknown

BLA: 6,000[27]

Jundallah: 500-2,000[8]
Jaish ul-Adl: Unknown
Casualties and losses
Pakistan
  • 1973–1977: 3,000–3,300 killed[28]
  • Since 2000: 1,692 killed[29]

Iran

  • 164 killed (security forces and civilians)[30]
  • 1973–1977: 5,300 killed[28]
  • Since 2000: 1,703 killed[29]
  • Surrendered: 3,093 (since 2015)[31]
  • SATP – surrendered: 5,868 (since 2005)[29]
  • c. 6,000+ civilians (1973–1977),[28] 4,376 civilians (since 2000)[32][29] and 473 non-specified killed in Pakistan[29]
  • c. 140,000 displaced (2004–2005)[32]
  • 3 Chinese civilians killed
  • 4 kidnapped
  • 5 oil tankers damaged[33]

In Pakistan's Balochistan province, insurgencies by Baloch nationalists have been fought in 1948, 1958–59, 1962–63 and 1973–1977, with an ongoing low-level insurgency beginning in 2003.[41] This insurgency has begun to weaken. In an article titled "The End of Pakistan's Baloch Insurgency?", Baloch analyst Malik Siraj Akbar reported that Baloch militants had begun killing their own commanders.[42] Furthermore, separatists in recent times have also accused their own groups of being involved in wide spread crime, robbery and rapes against Baloch women, with some claiming that what started as an idealistic political fight for their people's rights has turned into gangs extorting, kidnapping and even raping locals.[43] However, Akbar called anger towards provincial Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch "growing and often uncontrollable".[44] Baloch militants have taken some reconciliation offers from the government and offered to hand in their weapons. In April 2016, four militant commanders and 144 militants had surrendered under reconciliation.[45] 600 rebels were killed and 1,025 surrendered after accepting reconciliation as of August 2016.[46] In April 2017, another 500 Baloch rebels surrendered to the state, including members of BRA, UBA, and LeB.[47]

Baloch separatists argue they are economically marginalised and poor compared to the rest of Pakistan.[48] China has invested $46 billion in the region.[36] The Balochistan Liberation Army, designated as a terrorist organisation by Pakistan, the United Kingdom[49] and the United States,[50] is the most widely known Baloch separatist group. Since 2000 it has conducted numerous deadly attacks on Pakistani military troops, police, journalists, civilians and education institutions. Other separatist groups include Lashkar-e-Balochistan and the Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF).[51][52][53][54]

By 2005, the insurgency by Baloch separatists had once again resurged in Iran. The fight over the Iranian Baloch region bordering Pakistan has "not gained" as much ground as the conflict in Pakistan.[55][56] Though since the mass unrest in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, protests and unrest in Iran's Sistan and Baluchistan province have surged, resulting in a bloody crackdown by the Iranian regime on its Baloch population.[57]Human rights activists have accused nationalist militants, Government of Pakistan and Iran of human rights abuses in its suppression of the insurgency.[58]

The News International reported in 2012 that a Gallup survey conducted for DFID revealed that the most of the Balochistan province does not support independence from Pakistan, with only 37% of ethnic Baloch and 12% of Pashtuns in Balochistan favoring independence. However, 67% of Balochistan's population favored greater provincial autonomy, including 79% of ethnic Baloch and 53% of Pashtuns in the province.[59]

Area of dispute

Historical Balochistan covers the southern part of the Iranian Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the west, the Pakistani province of Balochistan in the east, and, in the northwest, part of Afghanistan's Helmand Province. The Gulf of Oman forms its southern border. Mountains and desert make up much of the region's terrain. A majority of Baloch inhabit the region of Balochistan that predominantly falls within Pakistan's borders.

Geographically, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan (comprising 44% of the country's total area), but it is the least developed and least inhabited, comprising only 5% of the total population.[60] Sunni Islam is the predominant religion throughout the Balochistan region.[61]

Stuart Notholt, in his Atlas of Ethnic Conflict, describes the unrest in Balochistan as a "nationalist/self-determination conflict".[62]

History

Background

The origins of the secessionist movement are believed to have started around the uncertainty regarding Khanate of Kalat, established in 1666 by Mir Ahmad. The Khanate of Kalat occupied central portions of territory in present day Balochistan, and was one of the four princely states of the modern day province under British rule, namely Makran, Las Bela, Kharan and Kalat.[63]Under Nasir I of Kalat in 1758, who accepted the Afghan paramountcy, the boundaries of Kalat stretched up to Dera Ghazi Khan in the east and Bandar Abbas in the west. However, in November 1839, the British invaded Kalat, and the Khan was killed in action during the invasion. Afterwards, the British influence in the region gradually grew. In 1869, the British Political Agent Robert Groves Sandeman ended up mediating a dispute between the Khan of Kalat and the Sardars of Balochistan, and established the British primacy in the region. The tribal areas of Marri, Bugti, Khetran and Chaghi were brought under the direct administration of a British Agent, eventually to become the Chief Commissioner's Province of Balochistan. Lasbela and Kharan were declared Special Areas with a different political system. The remaining areas of Sarawan, Jhalawan, Kacchi and Makran were retained as the Khanate of Kalat, supervised by a Political Agent of Kalat.[64]

In the 20th century, the educated Baloch middle class harboured hopes of their independence from British colonial rule. They formed a nationalist movement Anjuman-e-Ittehad-e-Balochistan in 1931. One of their first campaigns was to fight for the accession of Azam Jan as the Khan of Kalat and a constitutional government to be established under him. They were successful in establishing Azam Jan as the Khan but the new Khan sided with the Sardars and turned his back on the Anjuman. His successor Mir Ahmad Yar Khan was more sympathetic to Anjuman but he was averse to upsetting his relations with the British. The Anujman, transformed into the Kalat State National Party (KSNP), continued to fight for independence from the British. It was declared illegal by the Khanate in 1939 and its active leaders and activists were exiled. This paved the way for the formation of new political parties, Balochistan Muslim League allied to the Muslim League in June 1939 and Anjuman-i-Watan allied to the Indian National Congress in the same year.[65] Led by Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai, the Anjuman-i-Water was opposed to the partition of India and wanted a united India after the country gained independence from Britain.[66]

During British rule Balochistan was under the rule of a Chief Commissioner and did not have the same status as other provinces of British India. The Muslim League under Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the period 1927-1947 strived to introduce reforms in Balochistan to bring it on par with other provinces of British India.

During the time of the Indian independence movement, public opinion in Balochistan, at least in Quetta and other small towns in northern Balochistan, was overwhelmingly in favour of Pakistan. The pro-India Congress, which drew support from Hindus and some Muslims, sensing that geographic and demographic compulsions would not allow the province's inclusion into the newly Independent India, began to encourage separatist elements in Balochistan, and other Muslim majority provinces such as NWFP.[67]

The Khan of Kalat lent great support to the Pakistan Movement but also desired to declare independence. Lord Mountbatten, however, made it clear that the princely states with the lapse of British paramountcy would have to join either India or Pakistan, keeping in mind their geographic and demographic compulsions.[67]

On 19 July, Mountbatten called a Round Table Conference meeting between representatives of the State of Kalat and Government of Pakistan. Mountbatten discussed with them the status of the Kalat State. The representatives of Kalat argued that Kalat, as per the treaty of 1876, was an independent and sovereign state and not an Indian state. Mountbatten accepted this position for the purpose of negotiation, although Kalat had always been a princely state. Thus, Mountbatten confined the topic of discussion to the leased areas of Quetta, Nushki, Nasirabad and Bolan. He explained that Pakistan rejected Kalat's claims that these areas should be returned to Kalat.

Pakistan's position was that it would inherit all treaty obligations incurred by India to the foreign states. Kalat argued that the leases clearly stated that the other party besides Kalat was the British Government alone. Kalat argued that it was a personal agreement and there was no provision that the leases to the British would be inherited by others. Therefore, since the agreement was between Kalat and the British Government, Pakistan could not be the latter's successor party.[67]

Pakistan did not agree that the agreement was personal as personal agreements by nature implied that only a particular person was involved. Mountbatten also said that according to international law, treaties such as the one being discussed were inherited by successors and not invalidated by a transfer of power. Mountbatten also suggested that in case there was no agreement the matter could be put before an Arbitral Tribunal.[67]

Kalat wished to have further discussions on the matter. Kalat also argued that in case of a vote in the leased areas between joining Kalat and joining Pakistan then the vote would go in favour of the former. Pakistan did not agree that the vote would have such a result.[67]

Kalat also expressed its deepest desire to remain on friendly terms with Pakistan and stated that it understood that Jinnah, who was anxious for a correct decision, wanted more time to study the issues between Kalat and Pakistan. Mountbatten, however, suggested that Jinnah not be brought into the discussions.[67]

Mountbatten insisted that Kalat and Pakistan sign a standstill agreement, which both countries did. The Standstill Agreement also stipulated that both parties would discuss as soon as possible about their relationship concerning Defence and External Affairs.[67] According to the Article I, 'The Government of Pakistan agrees that Kalat is an independent State, being quite different in status from other States of India'. However, the Article IV stated:

a standstill agreement will be made between Pakistan and Kalat by which Pakistan shall stand committed to all the responsibilities agreements signed by Kalat and the British Government from 1839 to 1947 and by this, Pakistan shall be the legal, constitutional and political successor of the British.[68]

Through this agreement, the British Paramountcy was effectively transferred to Pakistan.

However, without making any agreement with Pakistan and in violation of the Standstill Agreement the Khan of Kalat declared independence. Later on, the ruler of Kalat unconditionally signed an Instrument of Accession with Pakistan on 27 March 1948, contrary to the wishes of his state's legislature, being the last of all princely states to do so.[67]

First conflict

Balochistan contained a Chief Commissioner's province and four princely states under the British Raj. The province's Shahi Jirga and the non-official members of the Quetta Municipality opted for Pakistan unanimously on 29 June 1947.[69] Three of the princely states, Makran, Las Bela and Kharan, acceded to Pakistan in 1947 after independence.[70] But the ruler of the fourth princely state, the Khan of Kalat, Ahmad Yar Khan, who used to call Jinnah his 'father',[71] declared Kalat's independence as this was one of the options given to all of the 535 princely states by British Prime Minister Clement Attlee.[72]

Kalat finally acceded to Pakistan on 27 March 1948 after the 'strange help' of All India Radio and a period of negotiations and bureaucratic tactics used by Pakistan.[71] The signing of the Instrument of Accession by Ahmad Yar Khan, led his brother, Prince Abdul Karim, to revolt against his brother's decision[73] in July 1948.[74] Princes Agha Abdul Karim Baloch and Muhammad Rahim, refused to lay down arms, leading the Dosht-e Jhalawan in unconventional attacks on the army until 1950.[73] The Princes fought a lone battle without support from the rest of Balochistan.[75] Jinnah and his successors allowed Yar Khan to retain his title until the province's dissolution in 1955.

Second conflict

Nawab Nauroz Khan took up arms in resistance to the One Unit policy, which decreased government representation for tribal leaders, from 1958 to 1959. He and his followers started a guerrilla war against Pakistan, and were arrested, charged with treason, and imprisoned in Hyderabad. Five of his family members, sons and nephews, were subsequently hanged on charges of treason and aiding in the murder of Pakistani troops. Nawab Nauroz Khan later died in captivity.[76] Nawab Nauroz Khan fought a lone battle as the rest of Balochistan did not support the uprising.[75]

Third conflict

After the second conflict, a Baloch separatist movement gained momentum in the 1960s, following the introduction of a new constitution in 1956 which limited provincial autonomy and enacted the 'One Unit' concept of political organisation in Pakistan. Tension continued to grow amid consistent political disorder and instability at the federal level. The federal government tasked the Pakistan Army with building several new bases in key areas of Balochistan. Sher Muhammad Bijrani Marri led like-minded militants into guerrilla warfare from 1963 to 1969 by creating their own insurgent bases. Their goal was to force Pakistan to share revenue generated from the Sui gas fields with the tribal leaders. The insurgents bombed railway tracks and ambushed convoys. The Army retaliated by destroying the militant camps. This insurgency ended in 1969, with the Baloch separatists agreeing to a ceasefire. In 1970 Pakistani President Yahya Khan abolished the "One Unit" policy,[77] which led to the recognition of Balochistan as the fourth province of West Pakistan (present-day Pakistan), including all the Balochistani princely states, the High Commissioners Province, and Gwadar, an 800 km2 coastal area purchased from Oman by the Pakistani government.[citation needed]

Fourth conflict, 1973–1977

Further information: Baloch Insurgency and Rahimuddin's Stabilization

The unrest continued into the 1970s, culminating in a government-ordered military operation in the region in 1973.

In 1973, citing treason, President Bhutto dismissed the provincial governments of Balochistan and NWFP and imposed martial law in those areas,[78] which led to armed insurgency. Khair Bakhsh Marri formed the Balochistan People's Liberation Front (BPLF), which led large numbers of Marri and Mengal tribesmen into guerrilla warfare against the central government.[79]

Assisted by Iran, Pakistani forces inflicted heavy casualties on the separatists. The insurgency fell into decline after a return to the four-province structure and the abolishment of the Sardari system.

Fifth conflict, 2004–present

See also: Turbat killings

In early 2005, the rape of a female doctor (Shazia Khalid) at the Sui gas facility re-ignited another long running conflict.[80] Her case and the unusual comment by then Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf about the controversy, stating on national television that the accused rapist, an officer identified only as Captain Hammad, was "not guilty",[81] led to a violent uprising by the Bugti tribe, disrupting the supply of gas to much of the country for several weeks.[82] In 2005, the Baluch political leaders Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and Mir Balach Marri presented a 15-point agenda to the Pakistan government. Their stated demands included greater control of the province's resources and a moratorium on the construction of military bases.[83] On 15 December 2005 the inspector general of the Frontier Corps, Major General Shujaat Zamir Dar, and his deputy Brigadier Salim Nawaz (the current IGFC) were wounded after shots were fired at their helicopter in Balochistan Province. The provincial interior secretary later said that, after visiting Kohlu, "both of them were wounded in the leg but both are in stable condition."[84]

However, a 2006 cable from the Embassy of the United States, Islamabad leaked by WikiLeaks noted that,

“There seems to be little support in the province, beyond the Bugti tribe, for the current insurgency.”[85]

In August 2006, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, 79 years old, was killed in fighting against the Pakistan Army, in which at least 60 Pakistani soldiers and 7 officers were also killed. Pakistan's government had charged him with responsibility for a series of deadly bomb blasts and a rocket attack on President Pervez Musharraf.[86]

In April 2009, Baloch National Movement president Ghulam Mohammed Baloch and two other nationalist leaders (Lala Munir and Sher Muhammad) were seized from a small legal office and were allegedly "handcuffed, blindfolded and hustled into a waiting pickup truck which is in still [sic] use of intelligence forces in front of their lawyer and neighboring shopkeepers." The gunmen were allegedly speaking in Persian (a national language of neighbouring Afghanistan and Iran). Five days later, on 8 April, their bullet-riddled bodies were found in a commercial area. The BLA claimed Pakistani forces were behind the killings, though international experts have deemed it odd that the Pakistani forces would be careless enough to allow the bodies to be found so easily and "light Balochistan on fire" (Herald) if they were truly responsible.[87] The discovery of the bodies sparked rioting and weeks of strikes, demonstrations, and civil resistance in cities and towns around Balochistan.[88]

On 12 August 2009, Khan of Kalat Mir Suleiman Dawood declared himself ruler of Balochistan and formally announced a Council for Independent Balochistan. The council's claimed domain includes Sistan and Baluchestan Province, as well as Pakistani Balochistan, but does not include Afghan Baloch regions. The council claimed the allegiance of "all separatist leaders including Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti." Suleiman Dawood stated that the UK had a "moral responsibility to raise the issue of Balochistan's illegal occupation at international level."[89]

The Economist wrote:

"[The Baloch separatists] are supported—with money, influence or sympathy—by some members of the powerful Bugti tribe and by parts of the Baloch middle class. This makes today's insurgency stronger than previous ones, but the separatists will nevertheless struggle to prevail over Pakistan's huge army."[51]

— The Economist, April 2012

In the aftermath of Akbar Bugti's killing, support for the insurgency surged with a large amount of support coming from Balochistan's burgeoning middle class.[90] US-based exiled Baloch journalist and newspaper editor Malik Siraj Akbar writes that the ongoing Baloch resistance has created "serious challenges" for the Pakistan government, "unlike the past resistance movements", because it has lasted longer than previous insurgencies, has greater breadth—including the entire province "from rural mountainous regions to the city centers", involves Baloch women and children at "regular protest rallies", and has drawn more international attention—including a 2012 hearing by the US Congress. Islamabad has accused its neighbour India of supporting the insurgency in Balochistan.[42] However infighting between insurgent groups as of late 2014 has weakened the movement.[42] On 23 November Chinese Consulate was attacked by BLA fighters.[91]

As of 2018, the Pakistani state was using Islamist militants to defeat Balochi separatists.[92] Academics and journalists in the United States have been approached by Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence spies, who threatened them not to speak about the insurgency in Balochistan, as well as human rights abuses by the Pakistani Army or else their family would be harmed.[93]

On 16 February 2019, armed men killed two Frontier Corps in Loralai.[94] On 17 February 2019, another attack took place on Pakistani security personnel in which four members of the Frontier Corps were killed in the Gardab area of Panjgur District.[95]

On 15 October 2020, at least 14 security personnel were killed in the first incident after a convoy of state-run Oil & Gas Development Company (OGDCL) was attacked on the coastal highway in Balochistan's Ormara, Radio Pakistan reported.[96][97]

On 27 December 2020, seven soldiers were killed in a gun attack on a Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan post in Harnai district.[98]

Through 2020, Pakistan recorded 506 fatalities (69 civilians, 178 SF personnel, and 159 militants), of which Balochistan alone accounted for 215 fatalities (84 civilians, 94 SF personnel, and 37 militants). The Province was a close second only to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which recorded 216 fatalities (61 civilians, 57 SF personnel, and 98 militants).[99]

According to the PIPS report, Balochistan is the second most affected province by Pakistan in 2021. The report said that 136 people were killed in 81 terrorist attacks in Balochistan last year, which were carried out by religious militants and Baloch nationalist organizations.

Of the 81 terrorist attacks in the province in 2021, 71 were carried out by banned nationalist organizations such as the Baloch Liberation Army, Balochistan Liberation Front, Baloch Republican Army and Baloch Republican Guards. According to the PIPS report, 95 people were killed in attacks by nationalist organizations. In addition, 14 people were killed in five terrorist incidents in Punjab and 13 in six terrorist incidents in Sindh.[100]

On 18 January 2022, at least five people were injured on Tuesday when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted near a railway track in the Mashkaf area of Balochistan's Bolan district.[101]

On 20 January 2022, at least three people were killed and over 20 others injured by a bombing in Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore. Spokesperson of the Baloch Nationalist Army, claimed responsibility for this attack and said that it targeted bank employees.[102][103][104]

On 25 January 2022, militants stormed a check post belonging to Pakistani military in the Sabdan area of Dasht, Kech District in Balochistan killing at least 10 security personnel and injuring 3 others.[105][106] The clash lasted for five hours in which militants also suffered several casualties.[106] The militants also seized weapons that were present in the check post.[105]

On 28 January 2022, at least four people were killed and 10 others were injured in a blast in Mat area of Sui in Balochistan's Dera Bugti district. Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Sarfraz Bugti claimed that "Baloch Republican Army terrorists" were behind the attack.[107]

On 30 January 2022, 17 people, including two policemen, were injured in a grenade attack in Dera Allahyar town of Jaffarabad district.[108]

In January 2022, militants carried out six attacks in which 17 people were killed, most of whom were security forces (14 security forces; 3 civilians), and 32 people were injured, most of whom were civilians (26 civilians; 6 security forces).[109]

On 2 February 2022, 9 militants and 12 soldiers were killed at Panjgur and Nushki districts of Pakistan's Balochistan province after forces responded to their attack. The Balochistan Liberation Army, claimed to have killed more than 100 soldiers at two military camps, claims rejected by Pakistan government.[110][111][112]

On 4 February 2022, at Chaman, a town bordering Afghanistan at least six people were injured in a grenade attack at para-military post.[113]

On 8 February 2022, a blast in Balochistan's Dera Murad Jamali town has killed one person and injured another two. A man identified as Dildar Ali was killed and two were injured.[114]

On 2 March 2022, a massive explosion took place at Fatima Jinnah Road in Quetta killing three people including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and wounding 25 others including two police personnel.[115]

On 8 March 2022, at least seven security personnel were killed in an explosion in Sibi, several minutes after President Arif Alvi addressed a colourful concluding ceremony of the Sibi Mela at a venue.[116]

on 15 March 2022, at least four soldiers of the Frontier Corps (FC) were killed and six were seriously injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a security forces' convoy in the area of Sangan in Sibi, Balochistan.[117]

Conflict in Iran

Main article: Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency

In 2014 there were about two million ethnic Baloch in Iran.[118]

In 1928, the new Pahlavī government of Iran was sufficiently well established to turn its attention to Baluchistan. Dost Mohammad Khan Baloch refused to submit, trusting in the network of alliances he had built up over the whole of the province south of the Sarḥadd. However, as soon as Reżā Shah's army under General Amīr Amanullah Jahanbani arrived in the area, the alliances dissolved. Dūst-Moḥammad Khan was left with a relatively small force and few allies of any consequence. The Persian army had little difficulty in defeating him. Once again Baluch political unity proved highly brittle. Dūst-Moḥammad eventually surrendered and was pardoned on condition he live in Tehran. After a year, he escaped while on a hunting trip. In due course, he was recaptured, and having killed his guard in the escape was hanged for murder.[119][120] Baloch activists complained that the new governance was centralised and dominated by the Persians, "forcing the Baloch community and other minorities to fight to protect their rights."[118]

Baloch people in Iran have several grievances. The Shi'ite Islamic revolution perceived the predominantly Sunni Baloch as a "threat". Sistan-e-Balochistan, the province where Baloch have traditionally lived in Iran, has the country's worst rates for life expectancy, adult literacy, primary school enrolment, access to improved water sources and sanitation, infant mortality rate, of any province in Iran. Despite its important natural resources (gas, gold, copper, oil and uranium), the province has the lowest per capita income in Iran. Almost 80% of the Baloch live under the poverty line.[118]

Attacks by insurgents

In the early 2000s the radical Islamist group Jundallah became active in Balochistan. The al Qaeda-linked extremist organisation has branches in both Iran and Pakistan. From 2003 to 2012, an estimated 296 people were killed in Jundullah-related violence in Iran.[121] Attacks in Iran included bombings in Zahedan in 2007, which killed 18 people, and another bombing in 2009 that killed 20 people. In 2009, 43 people were killed in a bombing in Pishin. In July 2010, 27 people were killed in bombings in Zahedan. In 2010, a suicide bombing in Chabahar killed 38 people.

Among the deaths in the Pishin bombings were two Iranian Revolutionary Guards generals: Noor Ali Shooshtari, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards' ground forces, and Rajab Ali Mhammadzadeh, the Revolutionary Guards' Sistan and Baluchistan provincial commander.[122]

In 2010 the leader of Jundallah, Abdolmalek Rigi, was killed, causing fragmentation of the group but not an end to insurgent attacks. In October 2013, the group Jaish al-Adl (JAA, Army of Justice), killed 14 Iranian border guards in an ambush in the town of Rustak, near the town of Saravan. Shortly thereafter, the Iranian authorities executed 16 Balochs, on charges ranging from terrorism to drug trafficking.[118] Another group, Harakat Ansar Iran (Partisan Movement of Iran, HAI) killed two Basij officers and wounded numerous civilians in an October 2012 suicide bombing against the mosque of Imam Hussein, in the port city of Chabahar (Sistan and Baluchestan Province).[118]

According to analyst Daniele Grassi, "Salafism plays an increasingly central role" for the "post-Jundallah" militants of JAA and HAI. "The rhetoric of groups such as HAI and JAA uses strongly anti-Shia tones. The two groups often refer to the Iranian Islamic Republic as a Safavid regime, in reference to the Safavid dynasty which introduced Shiism in Iran." Iran is also concerned about anti-Shia co-operation between the two groups and ISIS.[118]

Iran has accused America of supporting Jundallah "for years". The US government, which has officially designated Jundallah a terrorist organisation, has denied this charge.[123] Iran has been angered by JAA's use of Pakistani territory as a refuge, and has threatened military operations in Pakistan to counter insurgent groups "on several occasions".[118]

Drivers of insurgency

In Balochistan, Pakistan, "drivers" of insurgency have been economic, cultural, involving immigration and human rights.

The immediate reasons for joining one of the several separatist militant groups vary among militants with citing the allure of power and excitement, a desire to honor their centuries-old tribal codes, gaining recognition for their region’s distinct ethnicity and even a belief in hard-line communism. Another cited reason by some is employment and funding to work as mercenaries for foreign state agencies.[124]

Economic inequality

Economic inequality, and Balochistan's status as a "neglected province where a majority of population lacks amenities" is a dimension in the conflict.[125][85] Since the mid-1970s Balochistan's share of Pakistan's GDP has dropped from 4.9 to 3.7%.[126] Balochistan has the highest infant and maternal mortality rate, the highest poverty rate, and the lowest literacy rate in Pakistan.[85][127]

On the other hand, according to a report published in the Pakistani English-language Dawn newspaper, members of Balochistan's elite society, including provincial government ministers and officials, own "pieces of land greater in size than some small towns of the country", and had luxury vehicles, properties, investments and businesses valued at millions of rupees.[125]

Development issues

Gas revenue

Balochistan receives less per/unit in royalties than Sindh and Punjab provinces, since Balochistan's wellhead price five times lower than in Sindh and Punjab (the gas wellhead price is based on per capita provincial income in 1953).[128] Furthermore, the government has returned little of the royalties owed to the province, citing the need to recover operating costs.[129] Consequently, Balochistan is heavily in debt.[130][131]

Balochistan Province receives Rs 32.71 per unit on gas revenues, including a royalty of Rs 13.90, excise duty of Rs 5.09, and gas development surcharge of Rs 13.72. Many private individuals with gas deposits on their land also receive payments. Many Balochs argue that such royalties are too low.[132] In response, in 2011 Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani announced an addition of Rs. 120 billion (US$2.5 billion) to the gas development surcharge and royalty portion of the "Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan" package.[133] However, royalties often do not trickle down to the common people in Balochistan due to the corruption and wealth-hoarding of Baloch tribal chiefs. This has hindered the growth of infrastructure.[citation needed]

Regional inequality

Extensive road and rail links developed by British colonialists in northern parts of Balochistan province have brought greater economic development to areas mainly inhabited by ethnic Pashtuns, which has also heightened nationalism among ethnic Balochs living in the southern parts of the within the province.[131]

Gwadar

Purchased by the government of Pakistan from Oman in 1958, the construction of the megaport of Gwadar beginning in 2002 became another source of grievances. Baloch complain that construction of the port relies on Chinese engineers and labourers, and few Balochs have been employed. A parallel town for workers at Gwadar is being built close to the old one to segregate Balochs from the growing influx of outsiders.

The Pakistani government has stationed soldiers in the area to secure it from insurgent attacks.[134][135][136]

Multiculturalism and immigration

Due to the historical shortage of skilled labour in Balochistan, skilled workers are often imported from other regions.[137] Their arrival means new industries can develop, boosting the local economy; however, nationalists argue that this creates resentment amongst the local inhabitants.

After the Soviet invasion, around 4 million refugees from Afghanistan arrived and settled in the region which has resulted in substantial demographic imbalance.[138] Perceived marginalisation as a result of increased Pashtun migration from Afghanistan during the Afghan War drives the insurgency.[131]

Education issues

A major factor in the Balouchistan conflict is education, which nationalists feel has been neglected. The government of Pakistan recognises that importing skilled labour from other regions has caused tensions in the region, and has thus sought to encourage scholarships for Balochi students so they can participate in development programmes. The quota for Baloch students in Punjab university was doubled in 2010 under the Cheema Long Scheme, on the order of CM Shabaz Sharif. The provincial governments of Sindh, Punjab and KP said they would take steps to encourage Balochistan students to enroll and benefit from 100% scholarships.[139][140]

Military response

Many Balochis have not tended to look favourably on Pakistan and the army's intervention in politics as they see the military as dominated by Punjabis and the interests of the Punjabis (who make up 45% of Pakistan's population) and lacking Baloch representation.[85]

In the insurgencies themselves, the military's "harsh response" has led to "a spiral of violence".[141] (See Human Rights Issues below.) A report by the Pakistan Security Research Unit notes, "Islamabad's militarized approach has led to ... violence, widespread human rights abuses, mass internal displacement and the deaths of hundreds of civilians and armed personnel."[127][142]

According to the International Crisis Group the attempt to crush the insurgency as in earlier insurgencies is feeding Baloch disaffection.[143] Moderate Balochs have been alienated from the government by the imprisonment of civilians without charges, and routine kidnapping of dissidents.[141][Note 1]

Foreign support

Afghanistan

Main articles: Afghanistan-Pakistan relations and Durand Line

Afghanistan has provided sanctuary and training to Baloch separatists in 1948, in the mid-1950s, and more vigorously under the regime of Afghan President Mohammed Daoud Khan.[145] In the 1970s, Daoud Khan's government established training camps in Afghanistan, at Kabul[146] and Kandahar,[147] for Baloch rebels. These were the first modern training camps in the country.[148] The camps in Kabul were under the supervision and control of Republican guards.[146]

The former Pakistani ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, wrote that in the 1970s training camps were set up in Afghanistan by Daoud to support Baloch separatists in Pakistan.[149] According to a student paper, "Pakistan's fear that a communist Afghanistan would embolden the Baloch and Pashtun Marxist separatists in the western Pakistani province of Balochistan was confirmed when Daoud began supporting Marxist Baloch and Pashtun groups in eastern Afghanistan".[150]

As president, Daoud started antagonising Pakistan [...] He set up a training camp outside Kandahar for Baluch rebels to foment trouble across the border in Pakistan...

— Christian Parenti, Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence (2011), p.103[151]

Daoud Khan ended hostilities against Pakistan following a 1975 Panjshir uprising led by Ahmad Shah Massoud against Khan's government. Visiting Pakistan in 1976, and again in 1978, Daoud Khan expressed his desire for peace between the two countries.[152] In 1978, however, he was removed from office by a communist coup in Afghanistan, after which Nur Muhammad Taraki seized power and established the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Nur Muhammad Taraki reopened the Baloch training camps in Afghanistan and once again started offering arms and aid to Baloch rebels.[147]

According to WikiLeaks cables published in 2010, the then-president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, had been providing shelter to Brahumdagh Bugti for several years.[153][154] Brahumdagh Bugti, along with some 20 separatists, had fled to Afghanistan in 2006, and his presence in Afghanistan had created tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2007 Pakistan's president, Pervaiz Musharraf, stated that Bugti was freely traveling between Kabul and Kandahar, raising money and planning attacks against Pakistani security forces. Musharraf repeatedly asked Hamid Karzai to hand over Bugti, which Karzai refused to do. In public, Afghan officials denied providing shelter to Bugti, but later, following a 2009 meeting between UN officials and Karzai, admitted that Bugti was indeed living in Kabul.[155] While speaking to The Guardian, Bugti admitted that he was leading the fight against Pakistan's army.[153] In 2010 he travelled to Switzerland and took up residence there. In 2017, his request for political asylum was rejected by Swiss authorities on the grounds that he had been linked to "incidents of terrorism, violence and militant activities".[156]

The Chief of Frontier Corps troops in Balochistan, Major General Obaidullah Khan Khattak, said in June 2012 that "over 30 militant camps" had been established in Afghanistan. The camps receive support from Afghanistan and are used "to launch terrorist and anti-state activities in Balochistan".[157] Malik Siraj Akbar, a Washington-based analyst, states that Afghanistan has always been a relatively safe hideout for the Baloch nationalist militants.[158]

On 25 December 2018, Aslam Baloch, alias Achu, and six other Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) commanders were killed in a suicide attack in Kandahar, Afghanistan.[159] A BLA spokesman confirmed their deaths.[159] Afghan officials stated that General Abdul Raziq Achakzai had housed Aslam Baloch and other separatist in Kandahar for years.[17][160] Moreover, the Afghan news channel TOLOnews reported that Aslam Baloch had been residing in Afghanistan since 2005.[161] According to Kandahar police chief Tadin Khan Achakzai, Aslam Baloch and Abdul Raziq Achakzai were 'close friends' and that 'Afghans will continue supporting separatist groups in their fight against the government of Pakistan'.[citation needed]

On 23 May 2019, a similar attack took place in Aino Mina, Kandahar. Laghari Bugti and three other Baloch insurgents were killed, while a further twelve were injured.[162] Afghan provincial council member Yousaf Younasi .[163][164][165] said it was the second attack on Baloch Liberation Army members in recent years in Kandahar's posh Aino Mina residential area, and that Aslam Baloch, alias Achu, had been killed in the same area.[165] Baloch separatist leader Sher Muhammad Bugti confirmed that the attack had taken place, but said that target of the attack was a senior separatist leader, Shah Wali Bugti. He said that 'Baloch separatist are not safe in Kandahar and they have come under attack in three places over the past few months'.[162] Kandahar Police Chief Tadin Khan stated that the attack in Aino Mena took place outside the house of a former National Directorate of Security (NDS) official.[162]

India

Avinash Paliwal claims that in the 1970s, Junior level Indian intelligence officers were actively involved in operations in Balochistan. In a book he authored, Paliwal says these officers claim that "we gave Baloch everything, from money to guns, during the 1970s, everything".[166] He further states that, like Pakistan and India, Iraq and Iran were bitter rivals. As a result, Pakistan and Iran had developed closer relations with each other, while India and Iraq did likewise. Arming Baloch insurgents in Iran and Pakistan was in the interest of both Iraq and India. Militant groups like Pasthun Zalmay, which were made up of Baloch and Pashtun militants, were in direct contact with Kabul as well as with Indian and Iraqi missions in Afghanistan.[166] Pashtun Zalmay was responsible for a series of bomb blasts and other insurgent activities in Pakistan. As a consequence, relations between Iran and India deteriorated so much that in 1975, Indian diplomat Ram D. Sathe sent a secret letter to the Indian ambassador in Tehran in which he claimed that "it will be [only] a few more days before Iranians will stridently back Pakistanis (on Kashmir) ... Personally I do not think we should be under any illusion about this matter. I think Iranians will definitely back the Pakistanis".[166]

Later on, in 2008, Paliwal claimed that if there had ever been an India-Afghanistan axis on Balochistan, it would likely have been in full play during this period. Afghan intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh and Indian diplomat Mayankote Kelath Narayanan were closely engaged with Baloch militants. Paliwal claims that even if Indian intelligence agencies denied direct support to Baloch insurgents, it was unlikely that they would have remained aloof from unfolding dynamics. Atul Khare, who observed these events on a regular basis, confirmed that India had contacts with Baloch militants. India had given (limited) protection to sons and grandsons of Baloch leaders, as well as Akbar Bugti. However, Khare claims that India did not help Akbar Bugti when he was killed during the fight with the Pakistan Army. In January 2009, Baloch militants continued their attacks against Pakistan. Both Pakistan and the United Kingdom believed that India was providing support to the Baloch militants.[166]

The Indian newspaper The Hindu reported that Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) commanders had, in the past, sought medical treatment in India's hospitals, often in disguise or with fake identities. In one such case, a militant commander in charge of Khuzdar city was based in Delhi for at least six months in 2017 while he underwent extensive treatment for kidney-related ailments.[167] Baloch militants' visits to India were often under assumed identities.[167] Similarly, another Baloch Liberation Army commander, Aslam Baloch (alias Achu), was also alleged to have visited India, where he met with people who were sympathetic to the Balochi cause.[167] Aslam Baloch was also alleged to have been treated at a hospital in New Delhi.[168] Jitendranand Saraswati, the founder of the Hind Baloch forum, claimed that Indians were actively contributing to the "freedom struggle of Balochistan".[169][170]

According to Malik Siraj Akbar, a Baloch journalist living in exile, there is a consensus among Pakistani authorities that India is behind the insurgency in Balochistan, without feeling a need to share evidence of Indian involvement.[44] Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of supporting Baloch rebels, starting with an attack in Gwadar in 2004 in which three Chinese engineers were killed.[171][172][173] Wright-Neville writes that the Pakistani government and some Western observers[which?] believe that India secretly funds the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).[174]

The former American Af-Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke said in 2011 that while Pakistan had repeatedly shared its allegations with Washington, it had failed to provide any evidence to the United States that India was involved with separatist movements in Balochistan. He did not consider Pakistan's accusations against India credible. Holbrooke also strongly rejected the allegation that India was using its consulates in Afghanistan to facilitate Baloch rebel activity, saying he had "no reason to believe Islamabad's charges", and that "Pakistan would do well to examine its own internal problems".[175] In 2009, a Washington-based think tank, the Center for International Policy, published a report stating that no evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan had been provided by Pakistan, and that the allegations made by Pakistan lacked credibility, as Baloch rebels had been fighting with "ineffectual small arms".[176]

India has categorically denied the allegations, pointing to Pakistan's failure to provide evidence.[172]

Brahamdagh Bugti stated in a 2008 interview that he would accept aid from India, Afghanistan, and Iran in defending Balochistan.[177] When asked about the alleged links between his group and India, he is reported to have laughed and said, "Would our people live amid such miserable conditions if we enjoyed support from India?"[178] Baloch National Front secretary Karima Baloch claims that the allegations against India are an "excuse to label [the] ingrown Balochistan freedom movement as a proxy war to cover up the war crimes [the] Pakistani state has committed in Balochistan".[179]

On 29 March 2016, the Pakistani government announced that it had apprehended a serving Indian naval officer, Kulbhushan Yadav, who, in a video interview, admitted that he had been tasked by the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) with destabilizing Pakistan.[180] The Indian government confirmed that Yadav was a former naval officer but denied that "this individual was involved in subversive activities in Pakistan at our [the Indian government's] behest",[181] and asserted that he operated "a legitimate business in Iran", from where he may have been "abducted" by Pakistan or, alternatively, by the extremist militant organization Jaishul Adil.[181][182][183]

In 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized Pakistan and alleged human rights issues in Balochistan during an Independence Day speech.[184] Pakistan condemned Modi's remarks, calling it an attempted diversion from violence in Kashmir and a reiteration of Pakistani allegations vis-a-vis Indian involvement in Balochistan.[185] Modi's comments were welcomed by exiled Baloch separatist leaders[186] but sparked anti-India protests by political organizations and locals in Balochistan.[187]

On 8 October 2015, the Indian newspaper The Hindu confirmed the presence of Balaach Pardili, a representative of the Balochistan Liberation Organisation (BLO), in India. Balaach Pardili hails from Afghanistan[166] and has been living in Delhi since 2009. Hyrbyair Marri, leader of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), had assigned Pardili the task of representing him in public events in India. Mr. Pardili appeared in public on 4 October 2015, under the banner of Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena (BSKS). His presence in India angered Pakistan. A Pakistani diplomat stated that in response to Pardili's presence in India, Pakistan could take up the issue in India's troubled North-Eastern region.[188]

Naela Quadri Baloch and her son Mazdak Dilshad Baloch also live in India. Mazdak Dilshad Baloch organizes campaigns in India to support the Baloch cause,[189] while his mother, Naela Quadri Baloch, is trying to gain support for the establishment of a Baloch Government-in-exile in India.[190] However, Naela Quadri Baloch's proposal for a Government-in-exile has been strongly opposed by other Baloch separatist leaders, such as Brahamdagh Bugti, who claim that Naela Quadri does not represent the Baloch people.[191]

On 7 May 2020, a retired Indian Army Major speaking on live television threatened to harm Pakistani soldiers in Balochistan.[192]

Iraq

On 10 February 1973, Pakistani police and paramilitary raided the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad, seizing a large cache of small arms, ammunition, grenades and other supplies, which were found in crates marked 'Foreign Ministry, Baghdad'. The ammunition and weaponry was believed to be destined for Baloch rebels. Pakistan responded by expelling and declaring persona non grata the Iraqi Ambassador Hikmat Sulaiman and other consular staff. In a letter to U.S. President Nixon on 14 February, Bhutto blamed India and Afghanistan, along with Iraq and the Soviet Union, for involvement in a "conspiracy ... [with] subversive and irredentist elements which seek to disrupt Pakistan's integrity."[193]

Israel

According to author Mark Perry, CIA memos revealed that in 2007 and 2008 Israeli agents posed as American spies and recruited Pakistani citizens to work for Jundallah (BLA affiliate) and carried out false flag operations against Iran.[194]

The Baloch Society of North America (BSO-NA) was a Baloch lobbying group founded in 2004 in Washington, D.C.[195] by Dr. Wahid Baloch, a graduate of Bolan Medical College who had gone into self-imposed exile in the United States in 1992. Between 2004 and 2014, his group had been trying to gain American (as well as Israeli) support for the independence of Balochistan. He held meetings with several American Congressmen and allegedly had meetings with several CIA officials. Dr. Baloch had long claimed that the Pakistani government was committing acts of genocide against the Baloch people, and that Islamabad's aim was to plunder the province's vast mineral resources. In January 2014 he released a letter appealing to the United States and Israel for direct assistance in preventing an alleged "killing spree of Baloch people" by the "Pakistani army".[196]

In May 2014, Dr. Baloch disbanded the BSO-NA, claiming that the War of Independence of Balochistan was actually a "war of independence of Khans, Nawabs and Sardars". He has since formed the Baloch Council of North America (BCN), which has dedicated itself to working with all democratic and nationalist forces in Pakistan to secure Baloch rights through democratic, nonviolent means, within the federation of Pakistan.[197]

Soviet Union

Pakistani scholar Syed F. Hasnat alleged that during the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989), the Soviet Union helped establish the Balochistan Liberation Army[198] which chiefly operates from southern Afghanistan.[174]

United States

The US State Department's official policy rejects secessionist forces in the Pakistani part of Balochistan, in support of the country's "unity and territorial integrity".[199] The US has, however, expressed concerns over human rights issues and urged parties in Pakistan to "work out their differences peaceably and through a valid political process."[199] In February 2010 a Jundullah leader captured by Iran, Abdulmalek Rigi, alleged on Iranian TV "that the US had promised to provide" Jundullah "with military equipment and a base in Afghanistan, near the Iranian border" for its fight against Iran. Rigi did not mention assistance in fighting Pakistan (which Iran accuses of backing the Jundullah, according to the BBC). The US has denied links with Jundullah, and according to the BBC, "it is not possible" to determine whether Abdolmalek Rigi "made the statement freely or under duress."[200]

In late 2011, the Balochistan conflict became the focus of dialogue on a new US South Asia strategy brought up by some US congressmen, who said they were frustrated over Pakistan's alleged continued support to the Afghan Taliban, which they said led to the continuation of the War in Afghanistan. Although this alternative to the Obama Administration's Af-Pak policy has generated some interest, "its advocates clearly do not yet have broad support".[201]

In the 1980s the CIA, the Iraqi Intelligence Service, Pakistani Sunni extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, and the Mujahedin e-Kalq supported a Baluchi tribal uprising against Iran.[9] A February 2011 article by Selig S. Harrison of the Center for International Policy called for supporting "anti-Islamist forces" along the southern Arabian Sea coast, including "Baluch insurgents fighting for independence from Pakistan", as a means of weakening the "rising tide of anti-American passion" in Pakistan and heading off any alliance between Islamabad and Beijing – Pakistan having granted China access to a naval base at Gwadar.[202]

United States of America has also designated Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a global terrorist organization on 2 July 2019.[50]

Decline in insurgency

The separatist insurgency peaked after the death of nationalist leader Akbar Bugti in 2006. However, since 2013, the strength and intensity of insurgency has gradually declined. 2013 Elections resulted in the formation of coalition among Baloch and Pashtun ethno-nationalist political parties and they ruled the province for the next four years.[203] The decline of Marxist ideology is also one of the factors which limit the scope of the nationalist insurgency. The separatist groups follow Marxism. However, the ideology itself has died across the world. Hence, the founding fathers of the Baloch revolution are dead and there are no ideologies to succeed them.[204] Similarly, disagreement which most of the time lead to clashes among the separatist groups and attacks on pro-government leaders and politicians who are willing to take part in election has also contributed to the decline in separatist appeal.[203] Another factor which limits the scope of nationalist insurgency is the infighting among the separatist groups. Separatists have also been fighting among themselves. On 30 June 2015, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) clashed with United Baloch Army (UBA), which resulted in death of twenty separatist on both sides.[205] Previously, BLA had attacked and captured one of the commander of UBA and killed four other members of UBA.[206]

Moreover, the separatists have been losing ranks. Though the exact strength of Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is not known, analyst believe that BLA now only has several hundred fighters based out of Afghanistan Balochistan borderland. The group is the only one to survive out of other separatist groups (UBA, BLF, BLUF and LeB) who once operated in the region.[204]

Total fatalities by year in the Balochistan insurgency since 2000, including civilians, security forces, terrorists, and insurgents; may not all sum up to total as an "unspecified" category also exists[207]


Furthermore, Baloch separatist themselves stand accused of rights abuses.[208] Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a 40-page report which criticised Baloch nationalists of killing, threatening and harassing teachers.[209] Human Right Watch (HRW) has also held separatist responsible for attacks on schools across the province.[210] Another factor which limits the scope of nationalist insurgency is the lack of support from locals as majority of locals don't support separatist groups. Locals support political parties who use legislature to address their grievances.[211]

Human rights issues

Main article: Human rights violations in Balochistan

Human Right Organisations have held Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) responsible for ethnic cleansing in the province as Brahamdagh Bugti (alleged leader of BLA), during a TV interview on 15 April 2009, urged separatists to kill non-Baloch residing in Balochistan. His actions allegedly lead to the death of 500 non-Baloch citizens in the province.[212] According to The Economist around 800 non-Baloch settlers and Baloch have been killed by Baloch militant groups since 2006.[51][52][53] Similarly, Human Right Watch have also held Baloch militants groups like Baloch liberation army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF) to be responsible for attacks on schools, teachers and students in the province.[213] As a result, many teachers have sought transfer to secure areas such as Quetta or have moved out of province entirely.[214] Separatist militants groups have also claimed responsibility for attacking and killing Journalists in the province.[215][216][217][218] Apart from Human Right Organisations, Baloch separatists themselves have accused each other of being involved in Human right violations.[208]

In the period 2003 to 2012, it is estimated that 8000 people were abducted by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan.[51] In 2008 alone, more than 1100 Baloch people disappeared.[219] There have also been reports of torture.[220] An increasing number of bodies "with burn marks, broken limbs, nails pulled out, and sometimes with holes drilled in their heads" are being found on roadsides as the result of a "kill and dump" campaign allegedly conducted by Pakistani security forces, particularly Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Frontier Corps (FC).[221][222] A 2013 report from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan identified ISI and Frontier Corps as the perpetrators for many disappearances, while noting a more cooperative stance from these agencies in recent years as perceived by local police forces.[223] The Pakistan Rangers are also alleged to have committed a vast number of human rights violations in the region.[224] No one has been held responsible for the crimes.[221] However, Pakistani security officials have rejected all the allegations made against them. Major General Obaid Ullah Khan claim that Baloch militants are using Frontier Corps (FC) uniform to kidnap people and malign the good name of Frontier Corps. Baloch militants have also been found using military uniform which resembles the one used by Frontier Corps while carrying out their activities.[225] A senior Pakistani provincial security official claims that missing person figures are 'exaggerated', that 'in Balochistan, insurgents, immigrants who fled to Europe and even those who have been killed in military operations are declared as missing persons'.[226] Reports have shown that many people have fled the province to seek asylum in other countries because of the unrest caused by separatist militants.

Militant groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi have systematically targeted Shia Muslims in Balochistan, with about 600 being killed in attacks in recent years.[51][227][228][229]

During a camp at Broken Chair, Geneva, Baloch Republican Party (BRP) leader Sher Baz Bugti alleged that Baloch youth, women and children were kept in "torture cells". BRP chief Brahumdagh Bugti called upon human rights organisation, including the United Nations, to take steps to stop the alleged "Baloch genocide".[230]

Sunni extremism and religious persecution of Zikris

The activities of terrorist organisations such as Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, have produced a surge in religious extremism in Balochistan. Hindus, Shias (including Hazaras) and Zikris have been targeted, resulting in the migration of over 300,000 of them from Baluchistan.[231][232][233][234]

Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) have also targeted Zikris in the province.[235][236]

Supreme Court investigation

There are more than 5,000 cases of 'forced disappearances' in Balochistan.[237] Many are innocent and stuck in Pakistan's slow court system whilst others are in prison awaiting charges on a range of things such as gun smuggling and robbery.[238] The chief justice of an apex court of Pakistan asked about the situation and said it was going out of control in Balochistan.[237] The Supreme Court is currently investigating the "missing persons" and issued an arrest warrant for the former Military Dictator Pervez Musharaff. Furthermore, the Chief Justice of the court said the military must act under the government's direction and follow well-defined parameters set by the Constitution.[239]

Missing people found

In June 2011, the prime minister was informed that 41 missing people had returned to their homes, false cases against 38 had been withdrawn and several others had been traced. The PM urged police to trace the missing people and help them to return to their homes.[240] In 2011, government established a commission which registered 5,369 missing person's complaints. The commission claims to have traced more than 3,600 people.[241] In October 2018, Balochistan National Party (Mengal) (BNP-M) claimed that around 300 missing Baloch persons had returned their homes.[242] Similarly in January 2019, Voice of Baloch Missing People (VBMP) decided to end their suspend their protest after around dozens of returned to their homes. VBMP gave a list of 110 missing people which the VBMP expects the government recover them within two months.[243]

On 29 June 2019, around 200 missing Baloch people were recovered according to Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove. According to Mir Ziaullah Langove VBMP had provided provincial authorities a list of 250 missing people and that the commission on enforced disappearances was also hearing about 40 cases of missing persons.[244]

Supreme Court orders

The Supreme Court apex court headed by Justice Iqbal decided ordered the government to the grant of subsistence allowance to the affected families. Justice Iqbal advised families not to lose hope. He said the issue of missing persons had become a chronic problem and, therefore, the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, constituted on the orders of the apex court, should be made permanent.[245]

Effect of and remedies for the insurgency

Development issues

The government of Pakistan has repeatedly stated its intention to bring industrialisation to Balochistan, and continues to claim that progress has been made by way of the "Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan" package of political and economic reforms issued in 2009.[246] This is challenged by Baloch nationalist groups, who argue the benefits of these policies have not accrued to native Baloch residents of the province.[citation needed] Baloch nationalist groups continue to highlight the extraction of natural resources, especially natural gas, from the province, without discernible economic benefit to the Baloch people.[citation needed] Nonetheless, the government of Pakistan continues to insist that industrial zones are planned along the new Gawadar-Karachi highway. According to the government, this development is envisaged to bring accelerated progress in the future for the Baloch.[citation needed]

In February 2006 three Chinese engineers assisting in the construction of a local cement factory were shot and killed in an attack on their automobile,[247] while another 11 injured in a car bomb attack by BLA.[citation needed] China recalled its engineers working on the project in Balochistan.[citation needed] The progress in the hydro-power sector has been slow since then.

The people of the region have largely maintained a nomadic lifestyle marked by poverty and illiteracy.[248] The indigenous people are continuously threatened by war and other means of oppression, which have resulted in the loss of thousands of innocent lives over many years.[249][250][251] Presently, according to Amnesty International, Baluch activists, politicians and student leaders are among those that are being targeted in forced disappearances, abductions, arbitrary arrests and cases of torture and other ill-treatment.[252]

Economic effects and shortage of skilled workers and goods

The chief minister of the province has said

"A large number of professors, teachers, engineers, barbers and masons are leaving the province for fear of attacks, This inhuman act will push the Baloch nation at least one century back. The Baloch nation will never forgive whoever is involved in target killings... He said the government has approved three university campuses, three medical colleges and hospitals for Turbat, Mastung, Naseerabad and Loralai districts but there was shortage of teachers in the area".[253]

Rice traders from Punjab have also been killed in target killing, this has resulting in higher prices of foods items in Balochistan. Almost 40 people of non-Balochi ethnic groups were killed in 2009.[37]

MPA personal development budget

Funding for Balochistan's annual development programme in 2010–11 was R27 billion, as compared to R13 billion in 2007–08. This allowed each Member of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan a personal development budget of 180 million for his or her constituency,[citation needed] with the figure increasing to 250 million in 2011–2012. However, critics argue that development funding is not a fix for deep political issues, and that MPAs have no incentive to find political solutions with the insurgents when they believe they will receive more funding as long as the insurgency continues. There have also been allegations that MPAs are exploiting the PSDP programme to arrange kickback schemes and other forms of corruption.[254]

Gadani Energy Corridor

Four coal-fired power plants will be built Gadani, creating a power corridor in Balochistan based on the Houston Energy Corridor. This was announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during a visit to the region. The Gadani Power Park and it is expected to generate 5200 MW.[255][256] Some nationalist groups objected to the project, saying they had not been consulted and instead favored expanding access to electricity in the province rather than increasing capacity.[citation needed]

Farm subsidy

The Federal government announced it would transfer Rs4 billion subsidy to Provincial Government to be passed onto farmers in Balochistan to promote for tube-wells. The Provincial Government announced it would spend further Rs3 billion to support the Federal Programme.[240] However, high levels of corruption amongst civil servants and senior ministers may mean the common man only gets partial benefit.[citation needed]

Army Education City at Sui

In January 2011 then Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, announced the establishment of Education City in Sui. The military said it had built colleges in Balochistan, such as Balochistan Institute of Technical Education (BITE) and the Gwadar Institute of Technical Education (GITE) with approximately 1,673 graduates. Around 22,786 Baloch students attend military-run educational institutions.[257]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Researcher Mickey Kupecz credits the political domination of Pakistan by the military to the tendency to respond to the insurgency with "overwhelming force" rather than with a political approach. "That the Baloch issue has been handled militarily rather than politically makes sense given the lack of civilian control over the country. Despite the restoration of democracy after the departure of General Pervez Musharraf, the military remains the dominant political authority and pays no heed to the commands of the civilian government. ... Unsurprisingly, its response to nearly any problem has been one of overwhelming force. As a consequence, Balochistan has become a third front for the military ..."[144]

References

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  3. ^ "No army operation in Balochistan: Kayani". Dawn News. 7 September 2013. 'Not a single soldier of Pakistan Army is involved in any operation in Balochistan,' Gen Kayani said.
  4. ^ "FC accelerates intelligence-based operations in Balochistan". Dawn News. 27 August 2017.
  5. ^ Abdolsatter Doshouki (17 October 2018). "Poverty And Discrimination Lead To Violence, Insecurity In Iran's Baluchistan". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
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  9. ^ a b c B Raman (25 January 2003). . Asia Times. Archived from the original on 15 April 2003.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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  12. ^ "Is Balochistan insurgency dying?". Foreign Policy News. 14 August 2015.
  13. ^ a b "US declares Pakistan's separatist Baluchistan Liberation Army as terrorist group". Indian Express. 3 July 2019.
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External links

  • by Sana Baloch
  • by Rahimullah Yusufzai
  • Ethnicity and Provincialism in Pakistan by Adnan Syed.

April 18, 2023
insurgency, balochistan, insurgency, revolt, baloch, nationalists, islamist, militants, against, governments, pakistan, iran, balochistan, region, which, covers, balochistan, province, southwestern, pakistan, sistan, baluchestan, province, southeastern, iran, . The Insurgency in Balochistan is an insurgency 34 13 or revolt 35 by Baloch nationalists and Islamist militants 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 Rich in natural resources like natural gas oil coal copper sulphur fluoride and gold this is the largest least populated and least developed province in Pakistan 36 Armed groups demand greater control of the province s natural resources and political autonomy Baloch separatists have attacked civilians from other ethnicities throughout the province 37 In the 2010s attacks against the Shia community by sectarian groups though not always directly related to the political struggle have risen contributing to tensions in Balochistan 38 39 In Pakistan the ethnic separatist insurgency is low scale but ongoing mainly in southern Balochistan as well as sectarian and religiously motivated militancy concentrated mainly in northern and central Balochistan 40 Insurgency in BalochistanMap of Pakistan s major ethnic groups showing the territorial extent of the Baloch people denoted in pink stretching into Iran and Afghanistan DateJuly 1948 present 10 74 years and 9 months Main Phases 1948 1958 59 1963 69 1973 77 2004 12 2012 presentLocationBalochistan Iran Pakistan border Balochistan Pakistan Sistan and Baluchestan IranStatusOngoing 11 12 13 Operation Radd ul Fasaad continuous 14 Intermittent series of multilateral talks underway 15 16 Belligerents Pakistan Forces involved Pakistan Army until 2008 1 2 3 Frontier Corps 4 Inter Services Intelligence Balochistan Police Iran 5 6 Forces involved Army since 1979 IRGC since 1980 Border Guard since 2000 Ministry of Intelligence Imperial Iranian Army until 1979 Baloch separatist groups BLA BLF BNA LeB BLUF BSO Azad BRA 2006 2022 UBA 2013 2022 Sectarian groups Ansar Al Furqan since 2013 Jaish ul Adl since 2012 Harakat Ansar 2012 13 Hizbul Furqan 2012 13 7 Jondollah Iran 2003 12 8 Jundallah Pakistan since 1996 Tehrik i Taliban Pakistan since 2007 Lashkar e Jhangvi since 1996 9 Sipah e Sahaba since 1985 9 Commanders and leadersArif Alvi President of Pakistan 2018 present Shehbaz Sharif Prime Minister of Pakistan 2022 present Ali Khamenei Supreme Leader of Iran 1989 present Ebrahim Raisi President of Iran 2021 present Karim Khan POW Nauroz Khan POW Khair Bakhsh Marri Balach Marri Aslam Baloch alias Achu 17 Abdul Nabi Bangulzai 18 Hyrbyair Marri 19 Allah Nazar Baloch Brahumdagh Bugti 20 Haji Wali Kalati 21 Mehran Marri 22 Javed Mengal 19 Dad Shah Abdolmalek Rigi Abdolhamid Rigi Muhammad Dhahir Baluch 23 Salahuddin Farooqui 24 Amir Naroui 24 Strength Pakistan 145 000 25 26 Iran UnknownBLA 6 000 27 Jundallah 500 2 000 8 Jaish ul Adl UnknownCasualties and lossesPakistan 1973 1977 3 000 3 300 killed 28 Since 2000 1 692 killed 29 Iran 164 killed security forces and civilians 30 1973 1977 5 300 killed 28 Since 2000 1 703 killed 29 Surrendered 3 093 since 2015 31 SATP surrendered 5 868 since 2005 29 c 6 000 civilians 1973 1977 28 4 376 civilians since 2000 32 29 and 473 non specified killed in Pakistan 29 c 140 000 displaced 2004 2005 32 3 Chinese civilians killed 4 kidnapped 5 oil tankers damaged 33 In Pakistan s Balochistan province insurgencies by Baloch nationalists have been fought in 1948 1958 59 1962 63 and 1973 1977 with an ongoing low level insurgency beginning in 2003 41 This insurgency has begun to weaken In an article titled The End of Pakistan s Baloch Insurgency Baloch analyst Malik Siraj Akbar reported that Baloch militants had begun killing their own commanders 42 Furthermore separatists in recent times have also accused their own groups of being involved in wide spread crime robbery and rapes against Baloch women with some claiming that what started as an idealistic political fight for their people s rights has turned into gangs extorting kidnapping and even raping locals 43 However Akbar called anger towards provincial Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch growing and often uncontrollable 44 Baloch militants have taken some reconciliation offers from the government and offered to hand in their weapons In April 2016 four militant commanders and 144 militants had surrendered under reconciliation 45 600 rebels were killed and 1 025 surrendered after accepting reconciliation as of August 2016 46 In April 2017 another 500 Baloch rebels surrendered to the state including members of BRA UBA and LeB 47 Baloch separatists argue they are economically marginalised and poor compared to the rest of Pakistan 48 China has invested 46 billion in the region 36 The Balochistan Liberation Army designated as a terrorist organisation by Pakistan the United Kingdom 49 and the United States 50 is the most widely known Baloch separatist group Since 2000 it has conducted numerous deadly attacks on Pakistani military troops police journalists civilians and education institutions Other separatist groups include Lashkar e Balochistan and the Balochistan Liberation United Front BLUF 51 52 53 54 By 2005 the insurgency by Baloch separatists had once again resurged in Iran The fight over the Iranian Baloch region bordering Pakistan has not gained as much ground as the conflict in Pakistan 55 56 Though since the mass unrest in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 protests and unrest in Iran s Sistan and Baluchistan province have surged resulting in a bloody crackdown by the Iranian regime on its Baloch population 57 Human rights activists have accused nationalist militants Government of Pakistan and Iran of human rights abuses in its suppression of the insurgency 58 The News International reported in 2012 that a Gallup survey conducted for DFID revealed that the most of the Balochistan province does not support independence from Pakistan with only 37 of ethnic Baloch and 12 of Pashtuns in Balochistan favoring independence However 67 of Balochistan s population favored greater provincial autonomy including 79 of ethnic Baloch and 53 of Pashtuns in the province 59 Contents 1 Area of dispute 2 History 2 1 Background 2 2 First conflict 2 3 Second conflict 2 4 Third conflict 2 5 Fourth conflict 1973 1977 2 6 Fifth conflict 2004 present 3 Conflict in Iran 3 1 Attacks by insurgents 4 Drivers of insurgency 4 1 Economic inequality 4 2 Development issues 4 2 1 Gas revenue 4 2 2 Regional inequality 4 2 3 Gwadar 4 3 Multiculturalism and immigration 4 4 Education issues 4 5 Military response 5 Foreign support 5 1 Afghanistan 5 2 India 5 3 Iraq 5 4 Israel 5 5 Soviet Union 5 6 United States 6 Decline in insurgency 7 Human rights issues 7 1 Sunni extremism and religious persecution of Zikris 7 2 Supreme Court investigation 7 2 1 Missing people found 7 2 2 Supreme Court orders 8 Effect of and remedies for the insurgency 8 1 Development issues 8 2 Economic effects and shortage of skilled workers and goods 8 3 MPA personal development budget 8 4 Gadani Energy Corridor 8 5 Farm subsidy 8 6 Army Education City at Sui 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 Bibliography 13 External linksArea of disputeHistorical Balochistan covers the southern part of the Iranian Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the west the Pakistani province of Balochistan in the east and in the northwest part of Afghanistan s Helmand Province The Gulf of Oman forms its southern border Mountains and desert make up much of the region s terrain A majority of Baloch inhabit the region of Balochistan that predominantly falls within Pakistan s borders Geographically Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan comprising 44 of the country s total area but it is the least developed and least inhabited comprising only 5 of the total population 60 Sunni Islam is the predominant religion throughout the Balochistan region 61 Stuart Notholt in his Atlas of Ethnic Conflict describes the unrest in Balochistan as a nationalist self determination conflict 62 HistoryBackground The origins of the secessionist movement are believed to have started around the uncertainty regarding Khanate of Kalat established in 1666 by Mir Ahmad The Khanate of Kalat occupied central portions of territory in present day Balochistan and was one of the four princely states of the modern day province under British rule namely Makran Las Bela Kharan and Kalat 63 Under Nasir I of Kalat in 1758 who accepted the Afghan paramountcy the boundaries of Kalat stretched up to Dera Ghazi Khan in the east and Bandar Abbas in the west However in November 1839 the British invaded Kalat and the Khan was killed in action during the invasion Afterwards the British influence in the region gradually grew In 1869 the British Political Agent Robert Groves Sandeman ended up mediating a dispute between the Khan of Kalat and the Sardars of Balochistan and established the British primacy in the region The tribal areas of Marri Bugti Khetran and Chaghi were brought under the direct administration of a British Agent eventually to become the Chief Commissioner s Province of Balochistan Lasbela and Kharan were declared Special Areas with a different political system The remaining areas of Sarawan Jhalawan Kacchi and Makran were retained as the Khanate of Kalat supervised by a Political Agent of Kalat 64 In the 20th century the educated Baloch middle class harboured hopes of their independence from British colonial rule They formed a nationalist movement Anjuman e Ittehad e Balochistan in 1931 One of their first campaigns was to fight for the accession of Azam Jan as the Khan of Kalat and a constitutional government to be established under him They were successful in establishing Azam Jan as the Khan but the new Khan sided with the Sardars and turned his back on the Anjuman His successor Mir Ahmad Yar Khan was more sympathetic to Anjuman but he was averse to upsetting his relations with the British The Anujman transformed into the Kalat State National Party KSNP continued to fight for independence from the British It was declared illegal by the Khanate in 1939 and its active leaders and activists were exiled This paved the way for the formation of new political parties Balochistan Muslim League allied to the Muslim League in June 1939 and Anjuman i Watan allied to the Indian National Congress in the same year 65 Led by Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai the Anjuman i Water was opposed to the partition of India and wanted a united India after the country gained independence from Britain 66 During British rule Balochistan was under the rule of a Chief Commissioner and did not have the same status as other provinces of British India The Muslim League under Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the period 1927 1947 strived to introduce reforms in Balochistan to bring it on par with other provinces of British India During the time of the Indian independence movement public opinion in Balochistan at least in Quetta and other small towns in northern Balochistan was overwhelmingly in favour of Pakistan The pro India Congress which drew support from Hindus and some Muslims sensing that geographic and demographic compulsions would not allow the province s inclusion into the newly Independent India began to encourage separatist elements in Balochistan and other Muslim majority provinces such as NWFP 67 The Khan of Kalat lent great support to the Pakistan Movement but also desired to declare independence Lord Mountbatten however made it clear that the princely states with the lapse of British paramountcy would have to join either India or Pakistan keeping in mind their geographic and demographic compulsions 67 On 19 July Mountbatten called a Round Table Conference meeting between representatives of the State of Kalat and Government of Pakistan Mountbatten discussed with them the status of the Kalat State The representatives of Kalat argued that Kalat as per the treaty of 1876 was an independent and sovereign state and not an Indian state Mountbatten accepted this position for the purpose of negotiation although Kalat had always been a princely state Thus Mountbatten confined the topic of discussion to the leased areas of Quetta Nushki Nasirabad and Bolan He explained that Pakistan rejected Kalat s claims that these areas should be returned to Kalat Pakistan s position was that it would inherit all treaty obligations incurred by India to the foreign states Kalat argued that the leases clearly stated that the other party besides Kalat was the British Government alone Kalat argued that it was a personal agreement and there was no provision that the leases to the British would be inherited by others Therefore since the agreement was between Kalat and the British Government Pakistan could not be the latter s successor party 67 Pakistan did not agree that the agreement was personal as personal agreements by nature implied that only a particular person was involved Mountbatten also said that according to international law treaties such as the one being discussed were inherited by successors and not invalidated by a transfer of power Mountbatten also suggested that in case there was no agreement the matter could be put before an Arbitral Tribunal 67 Kalat wished to have further discussions on the matter Kalat also argued that in case of a vote in the leased areas between joining Kalat and joining Pakistan then the vote would go in favour of the former Pakistan did not agree that the vote would have such a result 67 Kalat also expressed its deepest desire to remain on friendly terms with Pakistan and stated that it understood that Jinnah who was anxious for a correct decision wanted more time to study the issues between Kalat and Pakistan Mountbatten however suggested that Jinnah not be brought into the discussions 67 Mountbatten insisted that Kalat and Pakistan sign a standstill agreement which both countries did The Standstill Agreement also stipulated that both parties would discuss as soon as possible about their relationship concerning Defence and External Affairs 67 According to the Article I The Government of Pakistan agrees that Kalat is an independent State being quite different in status from other States of India However the Article IV stated a standstill agreement will be made between Pakistan and Kalat by which Pakistan shall stand committed to all the responsibilities agreements signed by Kalat and the British Government from 1839 to 1947 and by this Pakistan shall be the legal constitutional and political successor of the British 68 Through this agreement the British Paramountcy was effectively transferred to Pakistan However without making any agreement with Pakistan and in violation of the Standstill Agreement the Khan of Kalat declared independence Later on the ruler of Kalat unconditionally signed an Instrument of Accession with Pakistan on 27 March 1948 contrary to the wishes of his state s legislature being the last of all princely states to do so 67 First conflict Balochistan contained a Chief Commissioner s province and four princely states under the British Raj The province s Shahi Jirga and the non official members of the Quetta Municipality opted for Pakistan unanimously on 29 June 1947 69 Three of the princely states Makran Las Bela and Kharan acceded to Pakistan in 1947 after independence 70 But the ruler of the fourth princely state the Khan of Kalat Ahmad Yar Khan who used to call Jinnah his father 71 declared Kalat s independence as this was one of the options given to all of the 535 princely states by British Prime Minister Clement Attlee 72 Kalat finally acceded to Pakistan on 27 March 1948 after the strange help of All India Radio and a period of negotiations and bureaucratic tactics used by Pakistan 71 The signing of the Instrument of Accession by Ahmad Yar Khan led his brother Prince Abdul Karim to revolt against his brother s decision 73 in July 1948 74 Princes Agha Abdul Karim Baloch and Muhammad Rahim refused to lay down arms leading the Dosht e Jhalawan in unconventional attacks on the army until 1950 73 The Princes fought a lone battle without support from the rest of Balochistan 75 Jinnah and his successors allowed Yar Khan to retain his title until the province s dissolution in 1955 Second conflict Nawab Nauroz Khan took up arms in resistance to the One Unit policy which decreased government representation for tribal leaders from 1958 to 1959 He and his followers started a guerrilla war against Pakistan and were arrested charged with treason and imprisoned in Hyderabad Five of his family members sons and nephews were subsequently hanged on charges of treason and aiding in the murder of Pakistani troops Nawab Nauroz Khan later died in captivity 76 Nawab Nauroz Khan fought a lone battle as the rest of Balochistan did not support the uprising 75 Third conflict After the second conflict a Baloch separatist movement gained momentum in the 1960s following the introduction of a new constitution in 1956 which limited provincial autonomy and enacted the One Unit concept of political organisation in Pakistan Tension continued to grow amid consistent political disorder and instability at the federal level The federal government tasked the Pakistan Army with building several new bases in key areas of Balochistan Sher Muhammad Bijrani Marri led like minded militants into guerrilla warfare from 1963 to 1969 by creating their own insurgent bases Their goal was to force Pakistan to share revenue generated from the Sui gas fields with the tribal leaders The insurgents bombed railway tracks and ambushed convoys The Army retaliated by destroying the militant camps This insurgency ended in 1969 with the Baloch separatists agreeing to a ceasefire In 1970 Pakistani President Yahya Khan abolished the One Unit policy 77 which led to the recognition of Balochistan as the fourth province of West Pakistan present day Pakistan including all the Balochistani princely states the High Commissioners Province and Gwadar an 800 km2 coastal area purchased from Oman by the Pakistani government citation needed Fourth conflict 1973 1977 Further information Baloch Insurgency and Rahimuddin s Stabilization The unrest continued into the 1970s culminating in a government ordered military operation in the region in 1973 In 1973 citing treason President Bhutto dismissed the provincial governments of Balochistan and NWFP and imposed martial law in those areas 78 which led to armed insurgency Khair Bakhsh Marri formed the Balochistan People s Liberation Front BPLF which led large numbers of Marri and Mengal tribesmen into guerrilla warfare against the central government 79 Assisted by Iran Pakistani forces inflicted heavy casualties on the separatists The insurgency fell into decline after a return to the four province structure and the abolishment of the Sardari system Fifth conflict 2004 present See also Turbat killings In early 2005 the rape of a female doctor Shazia Khalid at the Sui gas facility re ignited another long running conflict 80 Her case and the unusual comment by then Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf about the controversy stating on national television that the accused rapist an officer identified only as Captain Hammad was not guilty 81 led to a violent uprising by the Bugti tribe disrupting the supply of gas to much of the country for several weeks 82 In 2005 the Baluch political leaders Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and Mir Balach Marri presented a 15 point agenda to the Pakistan government Their stated demands included greater control of the province s resources and a moratorium on the construction of military bases 83 On 15 December 2005 the inspector general of the Frontier Corps Major General Shujaat Zamir Dar and his deputy Brigadier Salim Nawaz the current IGFC were wounded after shots were fired at their helicopter in Balochistan Province The provincial interior secretary later said that after visiting Kohlu both of them were wounded in the leg but both are in stable condition 84 However a 2006 cable from the Embassy of the United States Islamabad leaked by WikiLeaks noted that There seems to be little support in the province beyond the Bugti tribe for the current insurgency 85 In August 2006 Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti 79 years old was killed in fighting against the Pakistan Army in which at least 60 Pakistani soldiers and 7 officers were also killed Pakistan s government had charged him with responsibility for a series of deadly bomb blasts and a rocket attack on President Pervez Musharraf 86 In April 2009 Baloch National Movement president Ghulam Mohammed Baloch and two other nationalist leaders Lala Munir and Sher Muhammad were seized from a small legal office and were allegedly handcuffed blindfolded and hustled into a waiting pickup truck which is in still sic use of intelligence forces in front of their lawyer and neighboring shopkeepers The gunmen were allegedly speaking in Persian a national language of neighbouring Afghanistan and Iran Five days later on 8 April their bullet riddled bodies were found in a commercial area The BLA claimed Pakistani forces were behind the killings though international experts have deemed it odd that the Pakistani forces would be careless enough to allow the bodies to be found so easily and light Balochistan on fire Herald if they were truly responsible 87 The discovery of the bodies sparked rioting and weeks of strikes demonstrations and civil resistance in cities and towns around Balochistan 88 On 12 August 2009 Khan of Kalat Mir Suleiman Dawood declared himself ruler of Balochistan and formally announced a Council for Independent Balochistan The council s claimed domain includes Sistan and Baluchestan Province as well as Pakistani Balochistan but does not include Afghan Baloch regions The council claimed the allegiance of all separatist leaders including Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti Suleiman Dawood stated that the UK had a moral responsibility to raise the issue of Balochistan s illegal occupation at international level 89 The Economist wrote The Baloch separatists are supported with money influence or sympathy by some members of the powerful Bugti tribe and by parts of the Baloch middle class This makes today s insurgency stronger than previous ones but the separatists will nevertheless struggle to prevail over Pakistan s huge army 51 The Economist April 2012 In the aftermath of Akbar Bugti s killing support for the insurgency surged with a large amount of support coming from Balochistan s burgeoning middle class 90 US based exiled Baloch journalist and newspaper editor Malik Siraj Akbar writes that the ongoing Baloch resistance has created serious challenges for the Pakistan government unlike the past resistance movements because it has lasted longer than previous insurgencies has greater breadth including the entire province from rural mountainous regions to the city centers involves Baloch women and children at regular protest rallies and has drawn more international attention including a 2012 hearing by the US Congress Islamabad has accused its neighbour India of supporting the insurgency in Balochistan 42 However infighting between insurgent groups as of late 2014 has weakened the movement 42 On 23 November Chinese Consulate was attacked by BLA fighters 91 As of 2018 the Pakistani state was using Islamist militants to defeat Balochi separatists 92 Academics and journalists in the United States have been approached by Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence spies who threatened them not to speak about the insurgency in Balochistan as well as human rights abuses by the Pakistani Army or else their family would be harmed 93 On 16 February 2019 armed men killed two Frontier Corps in Loralai 94 On 17 February 2019 another attack took place on Pakistani security personnel in which four members of the Frontier Corps were killed in the Gardab area of Panjgur District 95 On 15 October 2020 at least 14 security personnel were killed in the first incident after a convoy of state run Oil amp Gas Development Company OGDCL was attacked on the coastal highway in Balochistan s Ormara Radio Pakistan reported 96 97 On 27 December 2020 seven soldiers were killed in a gun attack on a Frontier Corps FC Balochistan post in Harnai district 98 Through 2020 Pakistan recorded 506 fatalities 69 civilians 178 SF personnel and 159 militants of which Balochistan alone accounted for 215 fatalities 84 civilians 94 SF personnel and 37 militants The Province was a close second only to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which recorded 216 fatalities 61 civilians 57 SF personnel and 98 militants 99 According to the PIPS report Balochistan is the second most affected province by Pakistan in 2021 The report said that 136 people were killed in 81 terrorist attacks in Balochistan last year which were carried out by religious militants and Baloch nationalist organizations Of the 81 terrorist attacks in the province in 2021 71 were carried out by banned nationalist organizations such as the Baloch Liberation Army Balochistan Liberation Front Baloch Republican Army and Baloch Republican Guards According to the PIPS report 95 people were killed in attacks by nationalist organizations In addition 14 people were killed in five terrorist incidents in Punjab and 13 in six terrorist incidents in Sindh 100 On 18 January 2022 at least five people were injured on Tuesday when an improvised explosive device IED planted near a railway track in the Mashkaf area of Balochistan s Bolan district 101 On 20 January 2022 at least three people were killed and over 20 others injured by a bombing in Anarkali Bazaar Lahore Spokesperson of the Baloch Nationalist Army claimed responsibility for this attack and said that it targeted bank employees 102 103 104 On 25 January 2022 militants stormed a check post belonging to Pakistani military in the Sabdan area of Dasht Kech District in Balochistan killing at least 10 security personnel and injuring 3 others 105 106 The clash lasted for five hours in which militants also suffered several casualties 106 The militants also seized weapons that were present in the check post 105 On 28 January 2022 at least four people were killed and 10 others were injured in a blast in Mat area of Sui in Balochistan s Dera Bugti district Balochistan Awami Party BAP leader Sarfraz Bugti claimed that Baloch Republican Army terrorists were behind the attack 107 On 30 January 2022 17 people including two policemen were injured in a grenade attack in Dera Allahyar town of Jaffarabad district 108 In January 2022 militants carried out six attacks in which 17 people were killed most of whom were security forces 14 security forces 3 civilians and 32 people were injured most of whom were civilians 26 civilians 6 security forces 109 On 2 February 2022 9 militants and 12 soldiers were killed at Panjgur and Nushki districts of Pakistan s Balochistan province after forces responded to their attack The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed to have killed more than 100 soldiers at two military camps claims rejected by Pakistan government 110 111 112 On 4 February 2022 at Chaman a town bordering Afghanistan at least six people were injured in a grenade attack at para military post 113 On 8 February 2022 a blast in Balochistan s Dera Murad Jamali town has killed one person and injured another two A man identified as Dildar Ali was killed and two were injured 114 On 2 March 2022 a massive explosion took place at Fatima Jinnah Road in Quetta killing three people including a Deputy Superintendent of Police DSP and wounding 25 others including two police personnel 115 On 8 March 2022 at least seven security personnel were killed in an explosion in Sibi several minutes after President Arif Alvi addressed a colourful concluding ceremony of the Sibi Mela at a venue 116 on 15 March 2022 at least four soldiers of the Frontier Corps FC were killed and six were seriously injured when an improvised explosive device IED exploded near a security forces convoy in the area of Sangan in Sibi Balochistan 117 Conflict in IranMain article Sistan and Baluchestan insurgency In 2014 there were about two million ethnic Baloch in Iran 118 In 1928 the new Pahlavi government of Iran was sufficiently well established to turn its attention to Baluchistan Dost Mohammad Khan Baloch refused to submit trusting in the network of alliances he had built up over the whole of the province south of the Sarḥadd However as soon as Reza Shah s army under General Amir Amanullah Jahanbani arrived in the area the alliances dissolved Dust Moḥammad Khan was left with a relatively small force and few allies of any consequence The Persian army had little difficulty in defeating him Once again Baluch political unity proved highly brittle Dust Moḥammad eventually surrendered and was pardoned on condition he live in Tehran After a year he escaped while on a hunting trip In due course he was recaptured and having killed his guard in the escape was hanged for murder 119 120 Baloch activists complained that the new governance was centralised and dominated by the Persians forcing the Baloch community and other minorities to fight to protect their rights 118 Baloch people in Iran have several grievances The Shi ite Islamic revolution perceived the predominantly Sunni Baloch as a threat Sistan e Balochistan the province where Baloch have traditionally lived in Iran has the country s worst rates for life expectancy adult literacy primary school enrolment access to improved water sources and sanitation infant mortality rate of any province in Iran Despite its important natural resources gas gold copper oil and uranium the province has the lowest per capita income in Iran Almost 80 of the Baloch live under the poverty line 118 Attacks by insurgents In the early 2000s the radical Islamist group Jundallah became active in Balochistan The al Qaeda linked extremist organisation has branches in both Iran and Pakistan From 2003 to 2012 an estimated 296 people were killed in Jundullah related violence in Iran 121 Attacks in Iran included bombings in Zahedan in 2007 which killed 18 people and another bombing in 2009 that killed 20 people In 2009 43 people were killed in a bombing in Pishin In July 2010 27 people were killed in bombings in Zahedan In 2010 a suicide bombing in Chabahar killed 38 people Among the deaths in the Pishin bombings were two Iranian Revolutionary Guards generals Noor Ali Shooshtari the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards ground forces and Rajab Ali Mhammadzadeh the Revolutionary Guards Sistan and Baluchistan provincial commander 122 In 2010 the leader of Jundallah Abdolmalek Rigi was killed causing fragmentation of the group but not an end to insurgent attacks In October 2013 the group Jaish al Adl JAA Army of Justice killed 14 Iranian border guards in an ambush in the town of Rustak near the town of Saravan Shortly thereafter the Iranian authorities executed 16 Balochs on charges ranging from terrorism to drug trafficking 118 Another group Harakat Ansar Iran Partisan Movement of Iran HAI killed two Basij officers and wounded numerous civilians in an October 2012 suicide bombing against the mosque of Imam Hussein in the port city of Chabahar Sistan and Baluchestan Province 118 According to analyst Daniele Grassi Salafism plays an increasingly central role for the post Jundallah militants of JAA and HAI The rhetoric of groups such as HAI and JAA uses strongly anti Shia tones The two groups often refer to the Iranian Islamic Republic as a Safavid regime in reference to the Safavid dynasty which introduced Shiism in Iran Iran is also concerned about anti Shia co operation between the two groups and ISIS 118 Iran has accused America of supporting Jundallah for years The US government which has officially designated Jundallah a terrorist organisation has denied this charge 123 Iran has been angered by JAA s use of Pakistani territory as a refuge and has threatened military operations in Pakistan to counter insurgent groups on several occasions 118 Drivers of insurgencyIn Balochistan Pakistan drivers of insurgency have been economic cultural involving immigration and human rights The immediate reasons for joining one of the several separatist militant groups vary among militants with citing the allure of power and excitement a desire to honor their centuries old tribal codes gaining recognition for their region s distinct ethnicity and even a belief in hard line communism Another cited reason by some is employment and funding to work as mercenaries for foreign state agencies 124 Economic inequality Economic inequality and Balochistan s status as a neglected province where a majority of population lacks amenities is a dimension in the conflict 125 85 Since the mid 1970s Balochistan s share of Pakistan s GDP has dropped from 4 9 to 3 7 126 Balochistan has the highest infant and maternal mortality rate the highest poverty rate and the lowest literacy rate in Pakistan 85 127 On the other hand according to a report published in the Pakistani English language Dawn newspaper members of Balochistan s elite society including provincial government ministers and officials own pieces of land greater in size than some small towns of the country and had luxury vehicles properties investments and businesses valued at millions of rupees 125 Development issues Gas revenue Balochistan receives less per unit in royalties than Sindh and Punjab provinces since Balochistan s wellhead price five times lower than in Sindh and Punjab the gas wellhead price is based on per capita provincial income in 1953 128 Furthermore the government has returned little of the royalties owed to the province citing the need to recover operating costs 129 Consequently Balochistan is heavily in debt 130 131 Balochistan Province receives Rs 32 71 per unit on gas revenues including a royalty of Rs 13 90 excise duty of Rs 5 09 and gas development surcharge of Rs 13 72 Many private individuals with gas deposits on their land also receive payments Many Balochs argue that such royalties are too low 132 In response in 2011 Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani announced an addition of Rs 120 billion US 2 5 billion to the gas development surcharge and royalty portion of the Aghaz e Haqooq e Balochistan package 133 However royalties often do not trickle down to the common people in Balochistan due to the corruption and wealth hoarding of Baloch tribal chiefs This has hindered the growth of infrastructure citation needed Regional inequality Extensive road and rail links developed by British colonialists in northern parts of Balochistan province have brought greater economic development to areas mainly inhabited by ethnic Pashtuns which has also heightened nationalism among ethnic Balochs living in the southern parts of the within the province 131 Gwadar Purchased by the government of Pakistan from Oman in 1958 the construction of the megaport of Gwadar beginning in 2002 became another source of grievances Baloch complain that construction of the port relies on Chinese engineers and labourers and few Balochs have been employed A parallel town for workers at Gwadar is being built close to the old one to segregate Balochs from the growing influx of outsiders The Pakistani government has stationed soldiers in the area to secure it from insurgent attacks 134 135 136 Multiculturalism and immigration Due to the historical shortage of skilled labour in Balochistan skilled workers are often imported from other regions 137 Their arrival means new industries can develop boosting the local economy however nationalists argue that this creates resentment amongst the local inhabitants After the Soviet invasion around 4 million refugees from Afghanistan arrived and settled in the region which has resulted in substantial demographic imbalance 138 Perceived marginalisation as a result of increased Pashtun migration from Afghanistan during the Afghan War drives the insurgency 131 Education issues A major factor in the Balouchistan conflict is education which nationalists feel has been neglected The government of Pakistan recognises that importing skilled labour from other regions has caused tensions in the region and has thus sought to encourage scholarships for Balochi students so they can participate in development programmes The quota for Baloch students in Punjab university was doubled in 2010 under the Cheema Long Scheme on the order of CM Shabaz Sharif The provincial governments of Sindh Punjab and KP said they would take steps to encourage Balochistan students to enroll and benefit from 100 scholarships 139 140 Military response Many Balochis have not tended to look favourably on Pakistan and the army s intervention in politics as they see the military as dominated by Punjabis and the interests of the Punjabis who make up 45 of Pakistan s population and lacking Baloch representation 85 In the insurgencies themselves the military s harsh response has led to a spiral of violence 141 See Human Rights Issues below A report by the Pakistan Security Research Unit notes Islamabad s militarized approach has led to violence widespread human rights abuses mass internal displacement and the deaths of hundreds of civilians and armed personnel 127 142 According to the International Crisis Group the attempt to crush the insurgency as in earlier insurgencies is feeding Baloch disaffection 143 Moderate Balochs have been alienated from the government by the imprisonment of civilians without charges and routine kidnapping of dissidents 141 Note 1 Foreign supportAfghanistan Main articles Afghanistan Pakistan relations and Durand Line Afghanistan has provided sanctuary and training to Baloch separatists in 1948 in the mid 1950s and more vigorously under the regime of Afghan President Mohammed Daoud Khan 145 In the 1970s Daoud Khan s government established training camps in Afghanistan at Kabul 146 and Kandahar 147 for Baloch rebels These were the first modern training camps in the country 148 The camps in Kabul were under the supervision and control of Republican guards 146 The former Pakistani ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani wrote that in the 1970s training camps were set up in Afghanistan by Daoud to support Baloch separatists in Pakistan 149 According to a student paper Pakistan s fear that a communist Afghanistan would embolden the Baloch and Pashtun Marxist separatists in the western Pakistani province of Balochistan was confirmed when Daoud began supporting Marxist Baloch and Pashtun groups in eastern Afghanistan 150 As president Daoud started antagonising Pakistan He set up a training camp outside Kandahar for Baluch rebels to foment trouble across the border in Pakistan Christian Parenti Tropic of Chaos Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence 2011 p 103 151 Daoud Khan ended hostilities against Pakistan following a 1975 Panjshir uprising led by Ahmad Shah Massoud against Khan s government Visiting Pakistan in 1976 and again in 1978 Daoud Khan expressed his desire for peace between the two countries 152 In 1978 however he was removed from office by a communist coup in Afghanistan after which Nur Muhammad Taraki seized power and established the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Nur Muhammad Taraki reopened the Baloch training camps in Afghanistan and once again started offering arms and aid to Baloch rebels 147 According to WikiLeaks cables published in 2010 the then president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai had been providing shelter to Brahumdagh Bugti for several years 153 154 Brahumdagh Bugti along with some 20 separatists had fled to Afghanistan in 2006 and his presence in Afghanistan had created tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan In 2007 Pakistan s president Pervaiz Musharraf stated that Bugti was freely traveling between Kabul and Kandahar raising money and planning attacks against Pakistani security forces Musharraf repeatedly asked Hamid Karzai to hand over Bugti which Karzai refused to do In public Afghan officials denied providing shelter to Bugti but later following a 2009 meeting between UN officials and Karzai admitted that Bugti was indeed living in Kabul 155 While speaking to The Guardian Bugti admitted that he was leading the fight against Pakistan s army 153 In 2010 he travelled to Switzerland and took up residence there In 2017 his request for political asylum was rejected by Swiss authorities on the grounds that he had been linked to incidents of terrorism violence and militant activities 156 The Chief of Frontier Corps troops in Balochistan Major General Obaidullah Khan Khattak said in June 2012 that over 30 militant camps had been established in Afghanistan The camps receive support from Afghanistan and are used to launch terrorist and anti state activities in Balochistan 157 Malik Siraj Akbar a Washington based analyst states that Afghanistan has always been a relatively safe hideout for the Baloch nationalist militants 158 On 25 December 2018 Aslam Baloch alias Achu and six other Baloch Liberation Army BLA commanders were killed in a suicide attack in Kandahar Afghanistan 159 A BLA spokesman confirmed their deaths 159 Afghan officials stated that General Abdul Raziq Achakzai had housed Aslam Baloch and other separatist in Kandahar for years 17 160 Moreover the Afghan news channel TOLOnews reported that Aslam Baloch had been residing in Afghanistan since 2005 161 According to Kandahar police chief Tadin Khan Achakzai Aslam Baloch and Abdul Raziq Achakzai were close friends and that Afghans will continue supporting separatist groups in their fight against the government of Pakistan citation needed On 23 May 2019 a similar attack took place in Aino Mina Kandahar Laghari Bugti and three other Baloch insurgents were killed while a further twelve were injured 162 Afghan provincial council member Yousaf Younasi 163 164 165 said it was the second attack on Baloch Liberation Army members in recent years in Kandahar s posh Aino Mina residential area and that Aslam Baloch alias Achu had been killed in the same area 165 Baloch separatist leader Sher Muhammad Bugti confirmed that the attack had taken place but said that target of the attack was a senior separatist leader Shah Wali Bugti He said that Baloch separatist are not safe in Kandahar and they have come under attack in three places over the past few months 162 Kandahar Police Chief Tadin Khan stated that the attack in Aino Mena took place outside the house of a former National Directorate of Security NDS official 162 India Avinash Paliwal claims that in the 1970s Junior level Indian intelligence officers were actively involved in operations in Balochistan In a book he authored Paliwal says these officers claim that we gave Baloch everything from money to guns during the 1970s everything 166 He further states that like Pakistan and India Iraq and Iran were bitter rivals As a result Pakistan and Iran had developed closer relations with each other while India and Iraq did likewise Arming Baloch insurgents in Iran and Pakistan was in the interest of both Iraq and India Militant groups like Pasthun Zalmay which were made up of Baloch and Pashtun militants were in direct contact with Kabul as well as with Indian and Iraqi missions in Afghanistan 166 Pashtun Zalmay was responsible for a series of bomb blasts and other insurgent activities in Pakistan As a consequence relations between Iran and India deteriorated so much that in 1975 Indian diplomat Ram D Sathe sent a secret letter to the Indian ambassador in Tehran in which he claimed that it will be only a few more days before Iranians will stridently back Pakistanis on Kashmir Personally I do not think we should be under any illusion about this matter I think Iranians will definitely back the Pakistanis 166 Later on in 2008 Paliwal claimed that if there had ever been an India Afghanistan axis on Balochistan it would likely have been in full play during this period Afghan intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh and Indian diplomat Mayankote Kelath Narayanan were closely engaged with Baloch militants Paliwal claims that even if Indian intelligence agencies denied direct support to Baloch insurgents it was unlikely that they would have remained aloof from unfolding dynamics Atul Khare who observed these events on a regular basis confirmed that India had contacts with Baloch militants India had given limited protection to sons and grandsons of Baloch leaders as well as Akbar Bugti However Khare claims that India did not help Akbar Bugti when he was killed during the fight with the Pakistan Army In January 2009 Baloch militants continued their attacks against Pakistan Both Pakistan and the United Kingdom believed that India was providing support to the Baloch militants 166 The Indian newspaper The Hindu reported that Balochistan Liberation Army BLA commanders had in the past sought medical treatment in India s hospitals often in disguise or with fake identities In one such case a militant commander in charge of Khuzdar city was based in Delhi for at least six months in 2017 while he underwent extensive treatment for kidney related ailments 167 Baloch militants visits to India were often under assumed identities 167 Similarly another Baloch Liberation Army commander Aslam Baloch alias Achu was also alleged to have visited India where he met with people who were sympathetic to the Balochi cause 167 Aslam Baloch was also alleged to have been treated at a hospital in New Delhi 168 Jitendranand Saraswati the founder of the Hind Baloch forum claimed that Indians were actively contributing to the freedom struggle of Balochistan 169 170 According to Malik Siraj Akbar a Baloch journalist living in exile there is a consensus among Pakistani authorities that India is behind the insurgency in Balochistan without feeling a need to share evidence of Indian involvement 44 Pakistan has repeatedly accused India of supporting Baloch rebels starting with an attack in Gwadar in 2004 in which three Chinese engineers were killed 171 172 173 Wright Neville writes that the Pakistani government and some Western observers which believe that India secretly funds the Balochistan Liberation Army BLA 174 The former American Af Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke said in 2011 that while Pakistan had repeatedly shared its allegations with Washington it had failed to provide any evidence to the United States that India was involved with separatist movements in Balochistan He did not consider Pakistan s accusations against India credible Holbrooke also strongly rejected the allegation that India was using its consulates in Afghanistan to facilitate Baloch rebel activity saying he had no reason to believe Islamabad s charges and that Pakistan would do well to examine its own internal problems 175 In 2009 a Washington based think tank the Center for International Policy published a report stating that no evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan had been provided by Pakistan and that the allegations made by Pakistan lacked credibility as Baloch rebels had been fighting with ineffectual small arms 176 India has categorically denied the allegations pointing to Pakistan s failure to provide evidence 172 Brahamdagh Bugti stated in a 2008 interview that he would accept aid from India Afghanistan and Iran in defending Balochistan 177 When asked about the alleged links between his group and India he is reported to have laughed and said Would our people live amid such miserable conditions if we enjoyed support from India 178 Baloch National Front secretary Karima Baloch claims that the allegations against India are an excuse to label the ingrown Balochistan freedom movement as a proxy war to cover up the war crimes the Pakistani state has committed in Balochistan 179 On 29 March 2016 the Pakistani government announced that it had apprehended a serving Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Yadav who in a video interview admitted that he had been tasked by the Research and Analysis Wing R amp AW with destabilizing Pakistan 180 The Indian government confirmed that Yadav was a former naval officer but denied that this individual was involved in subversive activities in Pakistan at our the Indian government s behest 181 and asserted that he operated a legitimate business in Iran from where he may have been abducted by Pakistan or alternatively by the extremist militant organization Jaishul Adil 181 182 183 In 2016 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized Pakistan and alleged human rights issues in Balochistan during an Independence Day speech 184 Pakistan condemned Modi s remarks calling it an attempted diversion from violence in Kashmir and a reiteration of Pakistani allegations vis a vis Indian involvement in Balochistan 185 Modi s comments were welcomed by exiled Baloch separatist leaders 186 but sparked anti India protests by political organizations and locals in Balochistan 187 On 8 October 2015 the Indian newspaper The Hindu confirmed the presence of Balaach Pardili a representative of the Balochistan Liberation Organisation BLO in India Balaach Pardili hails from Afghanistan 166 and has been living in Delhi since 2009 Hyrbyair Marri leader of the Baloch Liberation Army BLA had assigned Pardili the task of representing him in public events in India Mr Pardili appeared in public on 4 October 2015 under the banner of Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena BSKS His presence in India angered Pakistan A Pakistani diplomat stated that in response to Pardili s presence in India Pakistan could take up the issue in India s troubled North Eastern region 188 Naela Quadri Baloch and her son Mazdak Dilshad Baloch also live in India Mazdak Dilshad Baloch organizes campaigns in India to support the Baloch cause 189 while his mother Naela Quadri Baloch is trying to gain support for the establishment of a Baloch Government in exile in India 190 However Naela Quadri Baloch s proposal for a Government in exile has been strongly opposed by other Baloch separatist leaders such as Brahamdagh Bugti who claim that Naela Quadri does not represent the Baloch people 191 On 7 May 2020 a retired Indian Army Major speaking on live television threatened to harm Pakistani soldiers in Balochistan 192 Iraq On 10 February 1973 Pakistani police and paramilitary raided the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad seizing a large cache of small arms ammunition grenades and other supplies which were found in crates marked Foreign Ministry Baghdad The ammunition and weaponry was believed to be destined for Baloch rebels Pakistan responded by expelling and declaring persona non grata the Iraqi Ambassador Hikmat Sulaiman and other consular staff In a letter to U S President Nixon on 14 February Bhutto blamed India and Afghanistan along with Iraq and the Soviet Union for involvement in a conspiracy with subversive and irredentist elements which seek to disrupt Pakistan s integrity 193 Israel According to author Mark Perry CIA memos revealed that in 2007 and 2008 Israeli agents posed as American spies and recruited Pakistani citizens to work for Jundallah BLA affiliate and carried out false flag operations against Iran 194 The Baloch Society of North America BSO NA was a Baloch lobbying group founded in 2004 in Washington D C 195 by Dr Wahid Baloch a graduate of Bolan Medical College who had gone into self imposed exile in the United States in 1992 Between 2004 and 2014 his group had been trying to gain American as well as Israeli support for the independence of Balochistan He held meetings with several American Congressmen and allegedly had meetings with several CIA officials Dr Baloch had long claimed that the Pakistani government was committing acts of genocide against the Baloch people and that Islamabad s aim was to plunder the province s vast mineral resources In January 2014 he released a letter appealing to the United States and Israel for direct assistance in preventing an alleged killing spree of Baloch people by the Pakistani army 196 In May 2014 Dr Baloch disbanded the BSO NA claiming that the War of Independence of Balochistan was actually a war of independence of Khans Nawabs and Sardars He has since formed the Baloch Council of North America BCN which has dedicated itself to working with all democratic and nationalist forces in Pakistan to secure Baloch rights through democratic nonviolent means within the federation of Pakistan 197 Soviet Union Pakistani scholar Syed F Hasnat alleged that during the Soviet Afghan War 1979 1989 the Soviet Union helped establish the Balochistan Liberation Army 198 which chiefly operates from southern Afghanistan 174 United States The US State Department s official policy rejects secessionist forces in the Pakistani part of Balochistan in support of the country s unity and territorial integrity 199 The US has however expressed concerns over human rights issues and urged parties in Pakistan to work out their differences peaceably and through a valid political process 199 In February 2010 a Jundullah leader captured by Iran Abdulmalek Rigi alleged on Iranian TV that the US had promised to provide Jundullah with military equipment and a base in Afghanistan near the Iranian border for its fight against Iran Rigi did not mention assistance in fighting Pakistan which Iran accuses of backing the Jundullah according to the BBC The US has denied links with Jundullah and according to the BBC it is not possible to determine whether Abdolmalek Rigi made the statement freely or under duress 200 In late 2011 the Balochistan conflict became the focus of dialogue on a new US South Asia strategy brought up by some US congressmen who said they were frustrated over Pakistan s alleged continued support to the Afghan Taliban which they said led to the continuation of the War in Afghanistan Although this alternative to the Obama Administration s Af Pak policy has generated some interest its advocates clearly do not yet have broad support 201 In the 1980s the CIA the Iraqi Intelligence Service Pakistani Sunni extremist group Sipah e Sahaba Pakistan and the Mujahedin e Kalq supported a Baluchi tribal uprising against Iran 9 A February 2011 article by Selig S Harrison of the Center for International Policy called for supporting anti Islamist forces along the southern Arabian Sea coast including Baluch insurgents fighting for independence from Pakistan as a means of weakening the rising tide of anti American passion in Pakistan and heading off any alliance between Islamabad and Beijing Pakistan having granted China access to a naval base at Gwadar 202 United States of America has also designated Balochistan Liberation Army BLA as a global terrorist organization on 2 July 2019 50 Decline in insurgencyThe separatist insurgency peaked after the death of nationalist leader Akbar Bugti in 2006 However since 2013 the strength and intensity of insurgency has gradually declined 2013 Elections resulted in the formation of coalition among Baloch and Pashtun ethno nationalist political parties and they ruled the province for the next four years 203 The decline of Marxist ideology is also one of the factors which limit the scope of the nationalist insurgency The separatist groups follow Marxism However the ideology itself has died across the world Hence the founding fathers of the Baloch revolution are dead and there are no ideologies to succeed them 204 Similarly disagreement which most of the time lead to clashes among the separatist groups and attacks on pro government leaders and politicians who are willing to take part in election has also contributed to the decline in separatist appeal 203 Another factor which limits the scope of nationalist insurgency is the infighting among the separatist groups Separatists have also been fighting among themselves On 30 June 2015 Baloch Liberation Army BLA clashed with United Baloch Army UBA which resulted in death of twenty separatist on both sides 205 Previously BLA had attacked and captured one of the commander of UBA and killed four other members of UBA 206 Moreover the separatists have been losing ranks Though the exact strength of Baloch Liberation Army BLA is not known analyst believe that BLA now only has several hundred fighters based out of Afghanistan Balochistan borderland The group is the only one to survive out of other separatist groups UBA BLF BLUF and LeB who once operated in the region 204 Total fatalities by year in the Balochistan insurgency since 2000 including civilians security forces terrorists and insurgents may not all sum up to total as an unspecified category also exists 207 Furthermore Baloch separatist themselves stand accused of rights abuses 208 Human Rights Watch HRW published a 40 page report which criticised Baloch nationalists of killing threatening and harassing teachers 209 Human Right Watch HRW has also held separatist responsible for attacks on schools across the province 210 Another factor which limits the scope of nationalist insurgency is the lack of support from locals as majority of locals don t support separatist groups Locals support political parties who use legislature to address their grievances 211 Human rights issuesMain article Human rights violations in Balochistan Human Right Organisations have held Balochistan Liberation Army BLA responsible for ethnic cleansing in the province as Brahamdagh Bugti alleged leader of BLA during a TV interview on 15 April 2009 urged separatists to kill non Baloch residing in Balochistan His actions allegedly lead to the death of 500 non Baloch citizens in the province 212 According to The Economist around 800 non Baloch settlers and Baloch have been killed by Baloch militant groups since 2006 51 52 53 Similarly Human Right Watch have also held Baloch militants groups like Baloch liberation army BLA and Balochistan Liberation United Front BLUF to be responsible for attacks on schools teachers and students in the province 213 As a result many teachers have sought transfer to secure areas such as Quetta or have moved out of province entirely 214 Separatist militants groups have also claimed responsibility for attacking and killing Journalists in the province 215 216 217 218 Apart from Human Right Organisations Baloch separatists themselves have accused each other of being involved in Human right violations 208 In the period 2003 to 2012 it is estimated that 8000 people were abducted by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan 51 In 2008 alone more than 1100 Baloch people disappeared 219 There have also been reports of torture 220 An increasing number of bodies with burn marks broken limbs nails pulled out and sometimes with holes drilled in their heads are being found on roadsides as the result of a kill and dump campaign allegedly conducted by Pakistani security forces particularly Inter Services Intelligence ISI and the Frontier Corps FC 221 222 A 2013 report from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan identified ISI and Frontier Corps as the perpetrators for many disappearances while noting a more cooperative stance from these agencies in recent years as perceived by local police forces 223 The Pakistan Rangers are also alleged to have committed a vast number of human rights violations in the region 224 No one has been held responsible for the crimes 221 However Pakistani security officials have rejected all the allegations made against them Major General Obaid Ullah Khan claim that Baloch militants are using Frontier Corps FC uniform to kidnap people and malign the good name of Frontier Corps Baloch militants have also been found using military uniform which resembles the one used by Frontier Corps while carrying out their activities 225 A senior Pakistani provincial security official claims that missing person figures are exaggerated that in Balochistan insurgents immigrants who fled to Europe and even those who have been killed in military operations are declared as missing persons 226 Reports have shown that many people have fled the province to seek asylum in other countries because of the unrest caused by separatist militants Militant groups like Lashkar e Jhangvi have systematically targeted Shia Muslims in Balochistan with about 600 being killed in attacks in recent years 51 227 228 229 During a camp at Broken Chair Geneva Baloch Republican Party BRP leader Sher Baz Bugti alleged that Baloch youth women and children were kept in torture cells BRP chief Brahumdagh Bugti called upon human rights organisation including the United Nations to take steps to stop the alleged Baloch genocide 230 Sunni extremism and religious persecution of Zikris The activities of terrorist organisations such as Lashkar i Jhangvi and Tehrik i Taliban Pakistan have produced a surge in religious extremism in Balochistan Hindus Shias including Hazaras and Zikris have been targeted resulting in the migration of over 300 000 of them from Baluchistan 231 232 233 234 Baloch Liberation Front BLF and Baloch Liberation Army BLA have also targeted Zikris in the province 235 236 Supreme Court investigation There are more than 5 000 cases of forced disappearances in Balochistan 237 Many are innocent and stuck in Pakistan s slow court system whilst others are in prison awaiting charges on a range of things such as gun smuggling and robbery 238 The chief justice of an apex court of Pakistan asked about the situation and said it was going out of control in Balochistan 237 The Supreme Court is currently investigating the missing persons and issued an arrest warrant for the former Military Dictator Pervez Musharaff Furthermore the Chief Justice of the court said the military must act under the government s direction and follow well defined parameters set by the Constitution 239 Missing people found In June 2011 the prime minister was informed that 41 missing people had returned to their homes false cases against 38 had been withdrawn and several others had been traced The PM urged police to trace the missing people and help them to return to their homes 240 In 2011 government established a commission which registered 5 369 missing person s complaints The commission claims to have traced more than 3 600 people 241 In October 2018 Balochistan National Party Mengal BNP M claimed that around 300 missing Baloch persons had returned their homes 242 Similarly in January 2019 Voice of Baloch Missing People VBMP decided to end their suspend their protest after around dozens of returned to their homes VBMP gave a list of 110 missing people which the VBMP expects the government recover them within two months 243 On 29 June 2019 around 200 missing Baloch people were recovered according to Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove According to Mir Ziaullah Langove VBMP had provided provincial authorities a list of 250 missing people and that the commission on enforced disappearances was also hearing about 40 cases of missing persons 244 Supreme Court orders The Supreme Court apex court headed by Justice Iqbal decided ordered the government to the grant of subsistence allowance to the affected families Justice Iqbal advised families not to lose hope He said the issue of missing persons had become a chronic problem and therefore the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances constituted on the orders of the apex court should be made permanent 245 Effect of and remedies for the insurgencyDevelopment issues The government of Pakistan has repeatedly stated its intention to bring industrialisation to Balochistan and continues to claim that progress has been made by way of the Aghaz e Haqooq e Balochistan package of political and economic reforms issued in 2009 246 This is challenged by Baloch nationalist groups who argue the benefits of these policies have not accrued to native Baloch residents of the province citation needed Baloch nationalist groups continue to highlight the extraction of natural resources especially natural gas from the province without discernible economic benefit to the Baloch people citation needed Nonetheless the government of Pakistan continues to insist that industrial zones are planned along the new Gawadar Karachi highway According to the government this development is envisaged to bring accelerated progress in the future for the Baloch citation needed In February 2006 three Chinese engineers assisting in the construction of a local cement factory were shot and killed in an attack on their automobile 247 while another 11 injured in a car bomb attack by BLA citation needed China recalled its engineers working on the project in Balochistan citation needed The progress in the hydro power sector has been slow since then The people of the region have largely maintained a nomadic lifestyle marked by poverty and illiteracy 248 The indigenous people are continuously threatened by war and other means of oppression which have resulted in the loss of thousands of innocent lives over many years 249 250 251 Presently according to Amnesty International Baluch activists politicians and student leaders are among those that are being targeted in forced disappearances abductions arbitrary arrests and cases of torture and other ill treatment 252 Economic effects and shortage of skilled workers and goods The chief minister of the province has said A large number of professors teachers engineers barbers and masons are leaving the province for fear of attacks This inhuman act will push the Baloch nation at least one century back The Baloch nation will never forgive whoever is involved in target killings He said the government has approved three university campuses three medical colleges and hospitals for Turbat Mastung Naseerabad and Loralai districts but there was shortage of teachers in the area 253 Rice traders from Punjab have also been killed in target killing this has resulting in higher prices of foods items in Balochistan Almost 40 people of non Balochi ethnic groups were killed in 2009 37 MPA personal development budget Funding for Balochistan s annual development programme in 2010 11 was R27 billion as compared to R13 billion in 2007 08 This allowed each Member of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan a personal development budget of 180 million for his or her constituency citation needed with the figure increasing to 250 million in 2011 2012 However critics argue that development funding is not a fix for deep political issues and that MPAs have no incentive to find political solutions with the insurgents when they believe they will receive more funding as long as the insurgency continues There have also been allegations that MPAs are exploiting the PSDP programme to arrange kickback schemes and other forms of corruption 254 Gadani Energy Corridor Four coal fired power plants will be built Gadani creating a power corridor in Balochistan based on the Houston Energy Corridor This was announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during a visit to the region The Gadani Power Park and it is expected to generate 5200 MW 255 256 Some nationalist groups objected to the project saying they had not been consulted and instead favored expanding access to electricity in the province rather than increasing capacity citation needed Farm subsidy The Federal government announced it would transfer Rs4 billion subsidy to Provincial Government to be passed onto farmers in Balochistan to promote for tube wells The Provincial Government announced it would spend further Rs3 billion to support the Federal Programme 240 However high levels of corruption amongst civil servants and senior ministers may mean the common man only gets partial benefit citation needed Army Education City at Sui In January 2011 then Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani announced the establishment of Education City in Sui The military said it had built colleges in Balochistan such as Balochistan Institute of Technical Education BITE and the Gwadar Institute of Technical Education GITE with approximately 1 673 graduates Around 22 786 Baloch students attend military run educational institutions 257 See alsoBaluchistan Chief Commissioner s Province Baloch nationalism Las Bela Kharan Khanate of Kalat Baluchistan States Union Human rights violations in Balochistan Forced disappearance in Pakistan Balochistan Liberation ArmyNotes Researcher Mickey Kupecz credits the political domination of Pakistan by the military to the tendency to respond to the insurgency with overwhelming force rather than with a political approach That the Baloch issue has been handled militarily rather than politically makes sense given the lack of civilian control over the country Despite the restoration of democracy after the departure of General Pervez Musharraf the military remains the dominant political authority and pays no heed to the commands of the civilian government Unsurprisingly its response to nearly any problem has been one of overwhelming force As a consequence 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over risks to security The News 17 November 2017 The Swiss chargesheet according to papers seen by this reporter said Marri was a Pakistani national of Great Britain associated with militant groups It claimed that the UBA collaborated with the terrorist movement Balochistan Republican Army BRA under Brahmadagh Bugti Sunni insurgent leader hanged at Evin prison France 24 20 June 2010 a b Militia leader blacklisted by Iran killed in clashes with Taliban Anadolu Agency 10 August 2021 Aguilar Francisco Bell Randy Black Natalie Falk Sayce Rogers Sasha Peritz Aki July 2011 An Introduction to Pakistan s Military PDF Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Archived PDF from the original on 15 April 2020 Retrieved 8 October 2020 White Matthew July 2005 Twentieth Century Atlas Death Tolls users erols com Archived from the original on 28 January 2006 Retrieved 8 October 2020 Baloch Liberation Army the insurgent group behind Karachi Stock Exchange attack ThePrint 29 June 2020 Archived from the original on 1 July 2020 a b c Minor Atrocities of the Twentieth Century Users erols com Retrieved 14 October 2014 a b c d e Balochistan Assessment Satp org Retrieved 25 May 2019 Jundallah Iran s Sunni rebels Al Jazeera 20 June 2010 556 2015 1 2 3 800 2016 4 1 222 2017 5 6 7 8 465 2018 9 10 50 2019 11 a b Ray Fulcher 30 November 2006 Balochistan Pakistan s internal war Europe Solidaire Sans Frontieres Kiyya Baloch 27 March 2015 Chinese Operations in Balochistan Again Targeted by Militants The Diplomat Multiple Sources Escalating Violence In A Restive Pakistani Province Resurrects A Forgotten Conflict Since the beginning of this year violent attacks by secular ethnic Baluch separatists in Pakistan s restive southwestern province of Balochistan have dramatically risen Baloch insurgency and continued tale of apathy and violence 8 February 2022 The province of Balochistan is once again in the vortex of turmoil and violence insurgency noun Merriam Webster Unabridged Retrieved 27 November 2019 The quality or state of being insurgent specifically a condition of revolt against a recognized government that does not reach the proportions of an organized revolutionary government and is not recognized as belligerency subscription required insurgency n Oxford English Dictionary Retrieved 27 November 2019 The quality or state of being insurgent the tendency to rise in revolt insurgence n The action of rising against authority a rising revolt subscription required Insurgency Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 27 November 2019 Insurgency term historically restricted to rebellious acts that did not reach the proportions of an organized revolution It has subsequently been applied to any such armed uprising typically guerrilla in character against the recognized government of a state or country subscription required Multiple Sources Mendez Zeus Hans Repression and Revolt in Balochistan The Uncertainty and Survival of a People s National Aspirations Air University Au Retrieved 31 August 2020 Baloch seek answers from Pakistan as more disappear in conflict Al Jazeera 20 July 2020 a b Qasim Nauman 17 August 2016 What Is Pakistan s Balochistan Insurgency and Why Is India s Modi Talking About It The Wall Street Journal a b Baloch separatists attack traders BBC News 27 July 2009 Kine Phelim 5 July 2014 Pakistan s Shia Under Attack The Diplomat We are the Walking Dead Killings of Shia Hazara in Balochistan Pakistan Human Rights Watch 29 June 2014 Kakar Rafiullah 21 April 2022 Resolve Balochistan s problems DAWN COM Retrieved 26 January 2023 Hussain Zahid 25 April 2013 The battle for Balochistan Dawn a b c Akbar Malik Siraj 3 November 2014 The End of Pakistan s Baloch Insurgency World Post AK 47s Motorcycles Desperation Militants Recount Their Paths to War NBC News Retrieved 10 February 2023 a b Akbar Malik Siraj 17 May 2015 Betrayal in Balochistan The World Post 144 militants including four commanders surrender in Balochistan Dawn 18 April 2016 Second third tier Baloch militants surrendered or killed Geo tv 29 August 2016 Around 500 Baloch rebel militants surrender pledge allegiance to Pakistan Hindustan Times 21 April 2017 Retrieved 22 April 2017 Kemp Geoffrey 2010 The East Moves West India China and Asia s Growing Presence in the Middle East 1st ed Brookings Institution p 116 ISBN 978 0815703884 Proscribed terrorist groups or organisations Home Office Government of the United Kingdom a b Terrorist Designations of Balochistan Liberation Army and Husain Ali Hazzima and Amendments to the Terrorist Designations of Jundallah U S Department of State 2 July 2019 a b c d e Balochistan We only receive back the bodies The Economist 7 April 2012 a b Waking up to the war in Balochistan BBC News 29 February 2012 The civil war has left thousands dead including non Baloch settlers and has gone on for the past nine years but it hardly made the news in Pakistan let alone abroad a b Their Future is at Stake Attacks on Teachers and Schools in Pakistan s Balochistan Province PDF Human Rights Watch December 2010 In Balochistan Violence Continues to Target Journalists Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty 9 October 2014 separatist organizations such as the Baloch Liberation Front and Baloch Liberation Army have claimed responsibility for some of the 27 journalists killed in targeted assassinations since 2007 G S Bhargava 12 April 2007 How serious is Baluch insurgency Asian Tribune Kupecz 2012 p 106 Iran At least 82 Baluchi protesters and bystanders killed in bloody crackdown Amnesty International 6 October 2022 Retrieved 27 January 2023 Pakistan Events of 2015 World Report 2016 Pakistan Human Rights Watch 27 January 2016 37pc Baloch favour independence UK survey The News International 13 August 2012 Archived from the original on 15 February 2017 Technical Assistance Islamic Republic of Pakistan Balochistan Economic Report PDF Asian Development Bank December 2005 Baluchi Introduction Location Language Folklore Religion 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Beyond Islam and Security Routledge p 82 ISBN 978 1 317 44820 4 a b Siddiqi 2012 p 71 Harrison Selig S 1981 In Afghanistan s shadow Baluch nationalism and Soviet temptations Carnegie Endowment for International Peace pp 27 28 ISBN 978 0 87003 029 1 Asia Report No 119 Pakistan The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan International Crisis Group 14 September 2006 p 4 Jalal Ayesha 2007 The State of Martial Rule The Origins of Pakistan s Political Economy of Defence Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780521051842 Abbas Hassan 2005 Pakistan s Drift Into Extremism Allah the Army and America s War on Terror M E Sharpe p 79 ISBN 0 7656 1496 0 Balochistan Insurgency www globalsecurity org Retrieved 21 May 2021 Sherry points out loopholes in Dr Shazia s rape probe Retrieved 21 May 2021 Musharraf s Rape Cover Up Archived from the original on 7 July 2012 Retrieved 21 May 2021 In Remote Pakistan Province a Civil War Festers The New York Times 2 April 2006 Pakistan general hurt in attack BBC News 15 December 2005 a b c d Kupecz 2012 p 96 7 Tribal Leader s Killing Incites Riots in Pakistan The New York Times 28 August 2006 Carlotta Gall 11 July 2009 Another Insurgency Gains in Pakistan The New York Times Riots as Baloch chiefs found dead BBC News 9 April 2009 Council of Independent Balochistan announced The Nation 21 August 2009 Mahvish Ahmad 5 June 2012 Balochistan middle class rebellion Archived from the original on 29 January 2018 Retrieved 20 September 2019 Karachi attack China consulate attack leaves four dead BBC Retrieved 25 November 2018 Akbar Malik Siraj 19 July 2018 In Balochistan Dying Hopes for Peace The New York Times Retrieved 25 September 2019 Increasing attacks by the Islamic State in Balochistan are connected to Pakistan s failed strategy of encouraging and using Islamist militants to crush Baloch rebels and separatists Mazzetti Mark Schmitt Eric Savage Charlie 23 July 2011 Pakistan Spies on Its Diaspora Spreading Fear The New York Times Retrieved 25 September 2019 Several Pakistani journalists and scholars in the United States interviewed over the past week said that they were approached regularly by Pakistani officials some of whom openly identified themselves as ISI officials The journalists and scholars said the officials caution them against speaking out on politically delicate subjects like the indigenous insurgency in Baluchistan or accusations of human rights abuses by Pakistani soldiers The verbal pressure is often accompanied by veiled warnings about the welfare of family members in Pakistan they said Four more FC troops martyred near Panjgur The Express Tribune 18 February 2019 بلوچستان دہشتگرد حملے میں 4 سکیورٹی اہلکار شہید in Urdu Nawa i Waqt 18 February 2019 Paramilitary convoy attacked in southwestern Pakistan killing 14 Gul Yousafzai 16 October 2020 Convoy attack kills 14 in southwestern Pakistan Asad Hashim Saadullah Akhtar 7 soldiers martyred in terrorist fire raid on FC post in Balochistan s Harnai ISPR DAWN 27 December 2020 Terrorism Assessment South Asia SATP Terrorist attacks increase in Pakistan despite talks with militants The Capital Debates At least five injured as IED blast hits Jaffer Express near Balochistan s Bolan Pakistan Today 18 January 2022 Gabol Imran 20 January 2022 At least 3 dead 20 injured in blast in Lahore s Anarkali area DAWN COM At least three killed 23 injured in Lahore blast www thenews com pk At least two dead dozens injured in Lahore explosion The Express Tribune 20 January 2022 a b کیچ دشت میں سیکورٹی فورسز پر حملہ 9اہلکار جاں بحق 3زخمی dailyintekhab pk 26 January 2022 a b کیچ میں سیکیورٹی فورسز کی چیک پوسٹ پر حملہ 10 اہلکار شہید shianews com pk 26 January 2022 Blast in Balochistan s Sui area claims 4 lives injures 10 DAWN 28 January 2022 ISPR says attacks repulsed in Balochistan s Noshki and Panjgur 4 terrorists killed Dawn 2 February 2022 42 Pakistanis Killed In Terrorist Attacks In January Alone The Friday Times 2 February 2022 Killed more than 100 soldiers at military camps in Pakistan claims Baloch Liberation Army India Today Pakistan 40 hours on recovery operations continue In Baloch districts at least 12 soldiers killed WION At least 21 dead after Pakistan army clashes with militants for third day The Guardian 4 February 2022 Yousafzai Gul 4 February 2022 Pakistani military conduct search for militants 38 hours after base attacks Reuters Blast in Dera Murad Jamali kills one and injured two people Quetta voice 8 February 2022 DSP among three martyred 25 injured in IED blast in Quetta Dunya news Seven martyred in Sibi explosion The Express Tribune 8 March 2022 At least four FC soldiers martyred six injured in Sibi IED explosion The Express Tribune 15 March 2022 a b c d e f g Grassi Daniele 20 October 2014 Iran s Baloch insurgency and the IS Asia Times Online Archived from the original on 20 October 2014 a href Template Cite news html title Template Cite news cite news a CS1 maint unfit URL link Spooner Brian 15 December 1988 BALUCHISTAN i Geography History and Ethnography cont Encyclopaedia Iranica Naseer Dashti 8 October 2012 The Baloch and Balochistan A Historical Account from the Beginning to the Fall of the Baloch State Trafford Publishing p 280 ISBN 978 1 4669 5897 5 Government of Iran Jondullah Uppsala Conflict Data Program Archived from the original on 1 October 2017 Retrieved 25 March 2017 Iranian commanders assassinated BBC News 18 October 2009 Robert Wright 15 January 2012 Is America Helping Israel Kill Iranian Scientists The View From Iran The Atlantic AK 47s Motorcycles Desperation Militants Recount Their Paths to War NBC News Retrieved 11 February 2023 a b Baloch ruling elite s lifestyle outshines that of Arab royals Dawn 21 March 2012 Rajsree Jetly 2012 Resurgence of the Baluch Movement in Pakistan Emerging Perspectives and Challenges Pakistan in Regional and Global Politics Routledge p 215 ISBN 9781136516979 a b Sanaullah Baloch March 2007 Balochistan Conflict Towards a Lasting Peace issuu com Pakistan Security Research Unit 7 5 6 Conflict in Balochistan PDF Human Rights Commission of Pakistan January 2006 56 Archived from the original PDF on 12 October 2017 Retrieved 5 April 2017 In Balochistan the wellhead price is 0 38 while it is approximately 2 in the other provinces a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Gulfaraz Ahmed March 2010 Management of Oil and Gas Revenues in Pakistan PDF The World Bank 11 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help ICG 2007 p 9 a b c Kupecz 2012 p 100 Balochistan for increased share in gas revenue Dawn 28 September 2009 Aghaz e Haqooq package Reassurances aside much left to be done in Balochistan The Express Tribune 11 October 2011 Kupecz 2012 p 103 Adeel December 2009 Renewed Ethnonationalist Insurgency in Balochistan Pakistan The Militarized State and Continuing Economic Deprivation Asian Survey Asian Survey 49 6 1079 doi 10 1525 as 2009 49 6 1071 Robert D Kaplan 2010 Monsoon The Indian Ocean amp the battle for supremacy in the 21st century Griffin Press ISBN 978 1 863 95502 7 Productive Sectors Government of Balochistan Umair Jamal 11 February 2016 Pakistan s Balochs Fear Minority Status in Their Own Province The Diplomat 545 Balochistan students to get admissions in Sindh Punjab professional colleges Balochistan Times via The Free Library 20 March 2009 CM doubles Baloch students quota The News International 11 November 2010 a b Kupecz 2012 p 104 Adeel Khan 27 May 2010 Baloch Ethnic Nationalism in Pakistan From Guerrilla War to Nowhere Asian Ethnicity a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help ICG 2007 p 2 Kupecz 2012 p 105 Raghav Sharma 15 July 2016 Nation Ethnicity and the Conflict in Afghanistan Political Islam and the rise of ethno politics 1992 1996 Routledge p 88 ISBN 9781317090137 a b Emadi H 18 October 2010 Dynamics of Political Development in Afghanistan The British Russian and American Invasions Springer pp 94 95 ISBN 9780230112001 a b Sirrs Owen L 1 July 2016 Pakistan s Inter Services Intelligence Directorate Covert Action and Internal Operations Routledge ISBN 9781317196082 R T Naylor 22 June 2014 Satanic Purses Money Myth And Misinformation in the War on Terror McGill Queen s University Press pp 17 18 ISBN 978 0773531505 Haqqani Husain 2005 Pakistan Between Mosque and Military PDF Carnegie Endowment for International Peace p 46 Archived from the original PDF on 13 October 2017 Retrieved 22 April 2017 Sabri Rabeah Mullen Rani 4 May 2009 Balochistan AF PAK s Forgotten Frontier p 12 Pakistan s fear that a communist Afghanistan would embolden the Baloch and Pashtun Marxist separatists in the western Pakistani province of Balochistan was confirmed when Daoud began supporting Marxist Baloch and Pashtun groups in eastern Afghanistan Parenti Christian 2011 Tropic of Chaos Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence Nation Books p 103 ISBN 978 1 56 858600 7 Peter Tomsen 10 December 2013 The Wars of Afghanistan Messianic Terrorism Tribal Conflicts and the Failures of Great Powers Hachette UK ISBN 9781610394123 a b WikiLeaks cables reveal Afghan Pakistani row over fugitive rebel The Guardian 30 November 2010 US embassy cables Karzai admits to sheltering Baloch nationalists The Guardian 1 December 2010 US embassy cables Update on a UN official kidnapped by Balochi militants The Guardian 30 November 2010 After banning Mehran Swiss reject Brahumdagh Bugti s request for asylum Geo News 22 November 2017 Bari Baloch 3 June 2012 39 training camps in Afghanistan fuelling Balochistan unrest FC IG Nation pk Pakistani separatists vow to target Belt and Road projects Nikkei Asian Review Retrieved 8 January 2018 a b Alleged leader of Chinese consulate attack in Pakistan reported killed Reuters Retrieved 26 December 2018 BLA commander Aslam Baloch killed in Kandahar bombings say sources Business Standard Retrieved 26 December 2018 Baloch Separatist Leader Killed In Kandahar Attack Reports Tolo news Retrieved 26 December 2018 The Baloch separatist Aslam Baloch was living in Afghanistan s Kandahar province since 2005 a b c Car Bomb targets Baloch insurgents in Kandahar Daily Times 25 May 2019 Archived from the original on 25 May 2019 Amir Shah 24 May 2019 Two dead 16 wounded in Kabul mosque blast Daily Telegraph Two dead 16 wounded in Kabul mosque blast news com au 24 May 2019 a b Afghan police official says blast at Kabul mosque kills 2 Washington Post 24 May 2019 a b c d e Paliwal Avinash 2017 My Enemy s Enemy India in Afghanistan from the Soviet Invasion to US Withdrawal Oxford University Press pp 38 240 and 241 ISBN 9780190685829 a b c Explained The Baloch Liberation Army The Hindu 3 July 2019 Chinese consulate attack mastermind being treated at New Delhi hospital Express Tribune 23 November 2018 Indians contributing to Baloch s freedom struggle Deccan Herald 11 August 2019 Indians contributing to Balochistan s freedom struggle Hind Baloch Forum Outlook India 11 August 2019 Butt Qaiser 7 August 2011 Balochistan conflict PM s talks with leaders unlikely to succeed The Express Tribune a b No evidence that India aiding Pak Baloch rebels The Indian Express 27 May 2009 Hamid Mir 28 July 2009 India and the Baloch insurgency The Hindu a b David Wright Neville 11 May 2010 Dictionary of Terrorism 1st ed Polity pp 48 49 ISBN 978 0745643021 US bails out India from Balochistan wrangle The Times of India 31 July 2009 No evidence that India aiding Pak Baloch rebels Indian Express 27 May 2009 Retrieved 12 December 2018 Bugti s grandson ready to accept help from India Oneindia 24 July 2008 Malik Siraj Akbar 11 August 2009 A Home grown Conflict The Times of India Desai Shweta 24 April 2016 Pak s RAW agent drama fake excuse to label homegrown Baloch freedom movt India s proxy war to cover its war crimes Baloch Students Organisation Daily News and Analysis Retrieved 8 May 2016 Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav confesses to spying in Pakistan in video The News International 29 March 2016 a b Press statement on video released by Pakistani authorities Archived from the original on 24 April 2016 Retrieved 19 November 2018 Rijiju Slams Pakistan for Releasing Doctored Video on Arrested Man The New Indian Express Press Trust of India 30 March 2016 Archived from the original on 3 April 2016 Retrieved 3 April 2016 Revealed Spy Kulbhushan Yadav not caught but abducted by extremist Sunni group Jaishul Adil Archived 9 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine India Today 30 March 2016 Venkataramakrishnan Rohan 15 August 2016 Independence Day speech Narendra Modi brings up Balochistan in a clear signal to Pakistan Scroll in Modi s Balochistan reference self incriminating Aziz The Express Tribune 16 August 2016 Brahamdagh Bugti is a traitor says Balochistan CM Nawab Zehri Business Standard 18 August 2016 Indian flags set ablaze in Balochistan following Narendra Modi s I Day diatribe against Pakistan International Business Times 19 August 2016 Pakistan outraged at presence of Baloch activist in India The Hindu 9 October 2015 No visa for Baloch leader Naela Quadri The Hindu 3 October 2016 Baloch activist Naela Qadri Baloch in Delhi to form government in exile India Today 11 October 2016 Naela Quadri Baloch Doesn t Represent Balochistan Says Brahamdagh Bugti News 18 12 October 2016 Indian anchor vows to shed blood of Pakistani soldiers in Balochistan on air Express Tribune 10 May 2020 Shahid Saeed March 2011 Caught But what The Friday Times Archived from the original on 12 January 2014 Retrieved 30 July 2013 Mark Perry 13 January 2012 False Flag Foreign Policy Archived from the original on 23 October 2014 Retrieved 7 March 2017 subscription required Welcome to BSO NA Baloch Council of North America Archived from the original on 27 October 2014 Influential Baloch lobby group in US decides to end activism against Pakistan Terminal X 15 July 2014 Archived from the original on 22 December 2015 Baloch Society of North America BSO NA Baloch Society of North America Archived from the original on 27 December 2014 Hasnat 2011 p 99 a b Iqbal Anwar 24 August 2016 US says it doesn t support Balochistan s independence Dawn Iran Jundullah leader claims US military support BBC News 26 February 2010 Should the US support an independent Balochistan Al Jazeera Free Baluchistan The National Interest 1 February 2011 a b Balochistan s Separatist Insurgency On The Wane Despite Recent Attack Gandhara Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty 18 April 2019 Archived from the original on 18 April 2019 a b Baloch movement stilled by lack of leadership strategy First Post 26 January 2016 Archived from the original on 14 February 2019 Clash between two militant groups leaves 20 dead in Dera Bugti 30 June 2015 Archived from the original on 2 July 2015 Factionalism in the Balochistan Insurgency An overview STRATAGEM 7 February 2017 Archived from the original on 22 April 2019 Retrieved 24 April 2019 Terrorism in Pakistan Yearly Fatalities SATP a b Ex Balochistan Militants Recount Paths to War With Pakistan NBC News 30 August 2015 Archived from the original on 31 August 2015 Pakistan Balochistan Militants Killing Teachers Human Rights Watch 13 December 2010 Archived from the original on 4 January 2012 Their future is at stake Human Right Watch 13 December 2010 Archived from the original on 3 October 2015 Retrieved 24 April 2019 What s behind the Baloch insurgency in Pakistan TRT World 19 April 2019 Archived from the original on 19 April 2019 Balochistan Liberation Army Mapping Militant Organization web stanford edu Retrieved 2 July 2019 Their Future is at Stake Human Right Watch HRW 13 December 2010 Retrieved 2 July 2019 Pakistan Balochistan Militants Killing Teachers Human Right Watch 13 December 2010 Another journalist gunned down second in three days Reporters Without Borders 1 March 2013 Reporter gunned down in Balochistan Reporters Without Borders 28 June 2010 Archived from the original on 28 January 2022 Retrieved 3 July 2019 Abdul Qadir Hajizai Committee to Protect Journalists Retrieved 2 July 2019 Journalist murdered in Balochistan Refworld 11 February 2008 Pakistan Security Forces Disappear Opponents in Balochistan Human Rights Watch 28 July 2011 We Can Torture Kill or Keep You for Years Enforced Disappearances by Pakistan Security Forces in Balochistan Human Rights Watch 28 July 2011 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help a b Balochistan We only receive back the bodies The Economist 7 April 2012 Since July 2010 over 300 battered corpses have been flung on roadsides and in remote areas across the province Baloch activists and human rights organisations believe these men insurgents and activists were victims of a kill and dump policy run by the Frontier Corps FC a paramilitary force that works with the Inter Services Intelligence ISI spy agency With burn marks broken limbs nails pulled out and sometimes with holes drilled in their heads the bodies are discarded becoming food for dogs The security forces deny any connection to the corpses No one has been held responsible Walsh Declan 28 July 2011 Pakistan s military accused of escalating draconian campaign in Balochistan The Guardian Balochistan Giving the people a chance PDF Report Human Rights Commission of Pakistan June 2013 Christopher Catherwood Leslie Alan Horvitz 2014 Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide Infobase Publishing ISBN 978 81 309 0363 7 Gunmen kill 14 people after forcing them to disembark from buses in Pakistan s Balochistan Gulf News 18 April 2019 Thousands vanish without a trace in Pakistan s restive Balochistan The National 8 December 2018 Archived from the original on 8 December 2018 Balochistan launches crackdown on Lashkar e Jhangvi The Nation Retrieved 6 December 2017 Khan Moosa Kaleem Momina Manzoor 5 December 2017 Few answers for the families of the disappeared Herald Magazine Retrieved 6 December 2017 Senior police official killed in targeted Quetta attack www aljazeera com Retrieved 6 December 2017 BRP sets up camp in Geneva to highlight state atrocities against Baloch Dawn 2 July 2016 Human Rights Commission of Pakistan worried over mass migration of Hindus from Balochistan DNA India 13 October 2014 Meanwhile in Balochistan Dawn 8 September 2014 Pro Taliban takfiris hail ISIS Zikri Balochs Hindus threatened to death The Shia Post 25 August 2014 Archived from the original on 3 September 2014 Gunmen target minority sect in Pakistan Al Jazeera 29 August 2014 Zikri community spiritual leader Shia father son duo killed in Pakistan India com Retrieved 8 October 2016 Police said motor cycle borne unidentified men opened fire on Mullai while he was returning home after solemnising the marriage of one of his devotees The banned Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack Zikri leader shot dead in Kech Retrieved 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removing excessive or inappropriate external links and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references January 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Unrest simmers in Pakistan province The real Balochistan by Sana Baloch Balochistan in focus by Rahimullah Yusufzai Ethnicity and Provincialism in Pakistan by Adnan Syed Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Insurgency in Balochistan amp oldid 1147224607, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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