Baloch nationalist
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__NOTOC__ Baloch nationalism ( Baloch: راج دۏستی بلۏچی) asserts that the
Baloch people The Baloch or Baluch ( bal, بلۏچ, Balòc) are an Iranian people who live mainly in the Balochistan region, located at the southeasternmost edge of the Iranian plateau, encompassing the countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. There ...
, an ethnic group native to Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan are a distinct
nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective Identity (social science), identity of a group of people unde ...
, and that their ethnicity overrides religious loyalty. The origins of modern Baloch nationalism coupled with the
insurgency in Balochistan The Insurgency in Balochistan is an insurgency or revolt by Baloch nationalists against the governments of Pakistan and Iran in the Balochistan region, which covers the Balochistan Province in southwestern Pakistan, Sistan and Baluchestan Prov ...
lie in the uncertainty regarding the signing of the Instrument of Accession (Kalat) around the time of the partition of India. ''The News International'' reported in 2012 that a local survey organization "Gallup" conducted a survey that revealed that the majority of Baloch do not support
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
from Pakistan. About 37 percent of Baloch were in favour of independence. Amongst Balochistan's
Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
population support for independence was even lower at 12 percent. However, a majority (67 percent) of Balochistan's population did favour greater provincial autonomy. A survey in 2009 by the Pew Research Center found that 58% of respondents in Balochistan chose ″Pakistani″ as their primary mode of identification, 32% chose their ethnicity and 10% chose both equally.


Baloch ethnicity and nationalism

Baloch nationalism is mostly popular in southern and eastern parts of Balochistan. The Baloch nationalist movement's demands have ranged from greater cultural, economic and political rights, to political autonomy, to outright
secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...
and the creation of an independent state of Balochistan. The movement is
secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
and heavily influenced by leftist Marxist ideology, like its other counterparts in other parts of Pakistan. The movement claims to receive considerable support from the Baloch diaspora in
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
, the
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, Sweden,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, and other countries. Pakistan has repeatedly made claims that the Baloch nationalists have received funding from
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, although these have been denied by
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Similarly, Afghanistan has acknowledged providing covert support to the Baloch nationalist militants. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Republic of Afghanistan provided sanctuary to Baloch militants. The Republic of Afghanistan had established training camps in
Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...
to train Baloch militants and also to provide arms and ammunition.


Modern Baloch nationalism

Baloch nationalism in its modern form began in the form of the Anjuman-e-Ittehad-e-Balochan (Organisation for Unity of the Baloch) based in Mastung in the 1920s, led by
Yousaf Aziz Magsi Nawab Mir Yousaf Aziz Magsi was a co-founder of the Anjuman-e-Ittehad-e-Balochan-wa-Balochistan alongside Abdul Aziz Kurd. In 2011, a commemorative seminar was held at the National Language Authority in Islamabad.Abdul Aziz Kurd and others. The aim of the group was political and constitutional reform in the
State of Kalat The Khanate of Kalat ( bal, کلاتءِ ھانات) was a Baloch Khanate that existed from 1512 to 1955 in the centre of the modern-day province of Balochistan, Pakistan. Its rulers were Brahui speakers. Prior to that they were subjects of ...
; the end of
British colonial rule The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts est ...
; the abolition of the
sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been ...
i-
jirga A jirga ( ps, جرګه, ''jərga'') is an assembly of leaders that makes decisions by consensus according to Pashtunwali, the Pashtuns, Pashtun social code. It is conducted in order to settle disputes among the Pashtuns, but also by members of oth ...
system; and the eventual unification of all Baloch lands into an independent state.''Baloch Nationalism: Its Origin and Development'', Taj Mohammad Breseeg, 2004 Simultaneously with the formation of the Anjuman, Baloch intellectuals in
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
formed a nationalist organisation, called the Baloch League. In February 1937, the Anjuman reorganised and became the
Kalat State National Party The Kalat State National Party (KSNP) was a Baloch nationalist political party in Balochistan in the princely state of Kalat from 1937 to 1948. They sought independence from British and full restoration of the Khanate of Kalat. The party was fo ...
, carrying on the Anjuman's political agenda of an independent united state of Balochistan. They demanded the independence of the ancient
Khanate of Kalat The Khanate of Kalat ( bal, کلاتءِ ھانات) was a Baloch Khanate that existed from 1512 to 1955 in the centre of the modern-day province of Balochistan, Pakistan. Its rulers were Brahui speakers. Prior to that they were subjects of ...
, which was later incorporated into Pakistan in 1955. The party was dominated by more secular-minded, anti-imperialist and populist elements, such as Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo,
Mir Gul Khan Naseer Gul Khan Naseer ( ur, ), also known as Malek o-Sho'arā Balochistan ( ur, ; 14 May 1914 – 6 December 1983) was a politician, poet, historian, and journalist from Balochistan, Pakistan. Born on 14 May 1914 in Noshki, Gul Khan Naseer was at the ...
and Abdul Aziz Kurd. When parliamentary elections were held in the State of Kalat, the party was the largest winner with a considerable majority. In 2017, the World Baloch Organisation placed advertisements on taxis in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
to say ''#FreeBalochistan'' along with slogans such as "Stop enforced disappearances" and "Save the Baloch people". These were initially allowed but later denied permission by Transport for London. The World Baloch Organisation claimed that this was a result of pressure from the Pakistani Government after the British High Commissioner in Islamabad was summoned to appear before the Pakistani Foreign Secretary.


See also

*
Balochistan Liberation Army The Balochistan Liberation Army ( bal, بلۏچستان آجوییء لشکر; abbreviated BLA), also known as the Baloch Liberation Army, is a Baloch ethnonationalist militant organization based in Afghanistan. The BLA's first recorded acti ...
*
Insurgency in Balochistan The Insurgency in Balochistan is an insurgency or revolt by Baloch nationalists against the governments of Pakistan and Iran in the Balochistan region, which covers the Balochistan Province in southwestern Pakistan, Sistan and Baluchestan Prov ...
* Sindhudesh * Sindhudesh Liberation Army * Separatist movements of Pakistan *
Saraikistan South Punjab ( ur, ) or Saraikistan (Urdu, skr, ) is a proposed new province of Pakistan, comprising the areas which has a majority of Saraikis in the southern part of Punjab province. Made up of Bahawalpur Division, Multan Division and ...


References


Sources

*In Afghanistan's Shadow: Baluch Nationalism and Soviet Temptations, Selig Harrison, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, New York, 1981
Baluch Nationalism and Superpower Rivalry, Selig Harrison
International Security, Vol. 5 No. 3 (Winter 1980-1981) pp 152–163
Knights, Not Pawns: Ethno-Nationalism and Regional Dynamics in Post-Colonial Balochistan
Paul Titus and Nina Swidler, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Feb., 2000), pp. 47–69


External links


The Resurgence of Baluch Nationalism
Frederic Grare, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Paper No. 65, January 2006
Balochistan's history of insurgencyPakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan
International Crisis Group, Asia Report N°119, 14 September 2006 {{Ethnic nationalism Baloch society Balochistan History of Balochistan Nationalist movements in Asia