Zofia Mroczek
The western province of Pakistan, Balochistan, has been torn by separatist insurgencies since its annexation
into the new born Muslim state in 1948. As the current conflict, which exploded in 2005, has now become less
intensive, military actions have also changed their character. There is no open war in the traditional sense but
there are new problems, like enforced disappearances, kill and dump operations, death squads, extrajudicial
and target killing, which strike Balochistan. A famous phrase of the former president Pervez Musharraf
addressed to the militants: "you won't even know what hit you" (Pakistan: the Worsening Conflict in
Balochistan, International Crisis Group, Asia Report no 119) has got a disturbingly literal interpretation.
Zofia Mroczek is Consultant at FAO
ISPI2014
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The opinions expressed herein are strictly personal and do not necessarily reflect the position of ISPI.
The ISPI online papers are also published with the support of Cariplo
However, divisions among the tribes are deep and they do not have a
tradition of their own sovereign state5. [Unlike] the Awami League, which
led a Bengali nationalist movement cutting across all the classes, the NAP
[National Awami Party] in Balochistan is a mere assortment of Baloch
and Brohi tribal leaders. On the lingual basis Brohis have as much in
common with the Balochis as Tamils have with Pashtuns, Feroz Ahmad
commented in 19996.
On the other hand, a new Baloch nationalism has emerged with the
emancipation of the Baloch middle class and intelligentsia7. These people
were often educated outside the province, where they acquired modern
1 Tribal leaders
2 Pakistan: the Worsening Conflict in Balochistan, International Crisis Group, Asia
Report no.119, 14 settembre 2006, p. 23
3 Ibidem, p. 10
4 M.I. LAIF M.A. HAMZA, Ethnic Nationalism in Pakistan: A Case Study of Baloch
Nationalism during Musharraf Regime, Journal of Pakistan Vision, vol. 1, no. 1, 2000,
p. 68
5 F. GRARE, Balochistan. The state versus the Nation, The Carnegie Papers, South
6 A. FEROZ, Ethnicity and Politics in Pakistan, London, Oxford University Press, 1999,
p. 173
7 M.I. LAIF, M.A. HAMZA, (2000), p. 67
Toward radicalization?
Motivation and goals have changed as well. People are desperate and have
lost confidence in the sense of political solutions. Continuing Motivation and goals have
disappointments, such as lacking power devolution, extractive policy, changed as well. People
military pressure and all kinds of abuse, lead to statements like: When are desperate and have
nobody wants to hear our voice, we're forced to make them hear it through lost confidence in the sense
violence or the young people have taken up the arms; they are fighting of political solutions.
for their rights. They think they can't get through a political struggle. If Continuing
this still continues, if we can't get our rights through political means, we disappointments, such as
too will take up the gun [] we are now tired. This is our last struggle11. lacking power devolution,
Some leaders set their sights on independence and have very precise extractive policy, military
pressure and all kinds of
8 baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com/2013/09/our-struggle-is-for-national-independence- abuse
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and-its-not-class-based-dr-allah-nazar/, 12.09.2013
9 F. GRARE, (2013), p. 9
10 Ibidem
12 baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/i-joined-politics-to-struggle-for-thr-
liberation-of-my-nation-banuk-hooran-baloch/, 04.08.2012
13 M.I. LAIF M.A. HAMZA, (2000), p. 74
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14 J.R. MURTHA, The strategic Importance of Balochistan, thesis for the Naval
Islamabad has always tried to divert attention from the conflict and to
stifle the stream of news from the province. The policy of misinformation
caused within years a surprising unawareness of what was actually going There are numerous
on there. The government would downplay the scale of unrest, as an army websites and blogs, often
spokesman said: It is not an insurgency...The Baloch militants are run by a Baloch diaspora
employed people [mercenaries]. There is no [nationalist or other in different parts of the
ideological] motivation16. Thus, many Pakistanis, especially the left, were world, from Sweden to
convinced by the official version promoted by Islamabad. Canada. They have
Gradually, this wall of silence started to erode and in spite of many risks, different view points but
influx of information has been intensifying. Extremely poor conditions of all declare to be impartial
the education and communication infrastructures have not impeded and to raise awareness on
Baloch society to become very active even on international forums. an international level and
Nowadays, the situation in Balochistan can be relatively easily monitored report the atrocities
but impartiality and plausibility of the information remain to be verified. against Baloch people
There are numerous websites and blogs, often run by a Baloch diaspora in
different parts of the world, from Sweden to Canada. They have different
view points but all declare to be impartial and to raise awareness on an
international level and report the atrocities against Baloch people[...]17.
Initiatives on a bigger scale have been undertaken, too. Baloch would
resort to the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization18 and the
United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Appeals have been also
made to the USA for interrupting its military assistance to Pakistan and
for American intervention.
Defence of the human
Laic nationalists rights and democracy in a
The completely secular character of this sites and initiatives is a salient quite Western way is in the
feature. Defence of the human rights and democracy in a quite Western first place, often colorized
way is in the first place, often colorized by the nationalism, moderate or by the nationalism,
radical. The availability of the English version, the inspiration of the UN moderate or radical. The
Declarations of Human Rights, the concept of nation and other values availability of the English
commonly shared in the Western world, are explicit. They lack references version, the inspiration of
to the global jihad or any kind of anti-Western solidarity of the Muslim the UN Declarations of
world. Even the radical site Baluch Sarmachar, with its war cry: Human Rights, the concept
of nation and other values
commonly shared in the
Western world, are explicit
16R.G. WIRSING, Baloch nationalism and geopolitics of energy resources: the changing
context of separatism in Pakistan, Strategic Studies Institute for the U. S. Government,
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April 2008, p. 32
17 balochwarna.com/xcenter/about/us/about-balochwarna/1,1.html, 15.02.2013
18 http://www.unpo.org/article/15484
Long live free and united Balochistan, Struggle and Victory, invokes just If religion can be promoted
freedom. If we type in its search engine words like Allah, the results refer to a national/ethnic unity
to Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch, most popular middle-class leader and to Dera factor even in traditionally
Allah Yar- area of Jaffarabad district. If we do the same thing with the tolerant societies, in
word 'jihad' the first result is an article The enemies of civilized world Baloch case it is less
announced Jihad against Baloch Nation, and others in this vein19. probable because it is a
In the case of Balochistan, the religious factor does not count because the persecutor, the state, who
conflicting sides are both Sunni. If religion can be promoted to a uses religion as a form of
national/ethnic unity factor even in traditionally tolerant societies, in oppression. In a logical
Baloch case it is less probable because it is a persecutor, the state, who way, therefore, Baloch,
uses religion as a form of oppression. In a logical way, therefore, Baloch, whose culture was never
whose culture was never particularly religious, do not feel like invoking particularly religious, do
Islam in their struggle. not feel like invoking Islam
in their struggle
Social mobilization
Another peculiarity is that the repression can indirectly encourage a social
mobilization, a raise of awareness of the identity, and a new-gained
confidence to defend one's rights. Certainly, this could be a very tricky path
since the collusion with extremist religious movements or xenophobic forms
of the nationalism is easy. As mentioned before, the former is less probable
given the alliance of conservative Islamist and the state. The latter,
however, has already come true in many cases. An ethnic tincture that
The parties like Baloch
appears in some aspects of the militancy is a proof of this worrying process.
Republican Party, Baloch
It is important to remember that probably not all the blogs written by the Youth Wing, Baloch
well-educated young people from London are read on regular basis by the National Movement and
poorly educated people in Baloch mud houses. Nonetheless, the injustice other new and traditional
and violence affecting all Baloch every day, push them to search for organizations, call for
solidarity within their community and to go on the streets. Consequently, strikes, hunger strikes or
information and ideas go around. demonstrations, and
The parties like Baloch Republican Party, Baloch Youth Wing, Baloch
achieve actual results.
National Movement and other new and traditional organizations, call for
They appeal in the first
strikes, hunger strikes or demonstrations, and achieve actual results.
place for an end to
They appeal in the first place for an end to abductions and extrajudicial
abductions and
killings, which are particularly painful for the community. They are
extrajudicial killings,
addressed primarily to the UN, like the one organized by the Voice of
which are particularly
Baloch Missing People on the Eid Day in Quetta (August 2013) with
painful for the community
people carrying large photos of their abducted relatives20. During these
events, clashes with the police take place frequently.
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19 sarmachar baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com/
20 Ibidem
21 M.BUVINIC M. DAS GUPTA U. CASABONNE P. VERWIMP, Violent conflict
and Gender Inequality. An Overview, Policy Research Working Paper 6371, The World
Bank, February 2013, abstract page, see also C. MULLER - M VOTHKNECHT, Group
violence, Ethnic Diversity and Citizen Participation: Evidence from Indonesia, Aix
Marseille School of Economics, February 2012
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22 pri.org.stories/2013-07-17/baloch/women-taking-more-prominent-role-fight-
independance-pakistan, 17.07.2013
23 baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/i-joined-politics-to-struggle-for-thr-
liberation-of-my-nation-banuk-hooran-baloch/, 04.08.2012
24 pri.org.stories/2013-07-17/baloch/women-taking-more-prominent-role-fight-
independance-pakistan, 17.07.2013
25 baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/i-joined-politics-to-struggle-for-thr-
liberation-of-my-nation-banuk-hooran-baloch/, 04.08.2012,
baluchsarmachar.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/afia-siddiqui-zarina-marri-and-dr-shazia-
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independance-pakistan, 17.07.2013
27 Ibidem
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