Balochistan has an enviable
location in south Asia, placed at the south west of Pakistan and to its
west is the border with Afghanistan and Iran and to the south is the Arabian
Sea. Balochistan accounts for nearly half the land mass of Pakistan and only
3.6% of its total population. Its strategic location makes it economically a very important part of
Pakistan. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor
passes through the region and the Gwadar port, which is an important trade
center for both Pakistan and China is also located here and recently there has
been an agreement which is signed between both the nations to develop road,
rails, infrastructure etc. boosting the economic ties and it will help China to
save 12000 kilometers of Trade route from China to Middle east for oil purposes.
Balochistan is immensely rich in natural resources,
including oil, gas, copper and gold. All these factors make Balochistan an
important part of Pakistan however despite these huge deposits of mineral
wealth and strategic location the area is one of the poorest regions of
Pakistan and the majority of its population lives in deplorable housing
conditions without access to electricity or clean drinking water. By controlling this region, one can have an upper
hand in South-Asia as well as in Middle East.
The people of Balochistan blame the Pakistani establishment for exploiting rich gas and
mineral resources without the giving the people of Balochistan a proper
representation and there are many organizations fighting for the
liberation of Baluchistan like BLA- Baloch Liberation Army, BRA- Baloch
Republic Army, BRP- Baloch Republican Party. The Balochistan
Liberation Army is a Pakistan-designated terrorist organisation. It is the most
widely-known Baloch separatist group. Baloch nationalists accuse Pakistan of
systematically suppressing its development to keep the Balochs suppressed. Pakistani
security forces are accused of illegally detaining 19,000 men, women and
children in Balochistan. Many of them have been raped and killed.
Balochistan is a touchy issue for Pakistan and India’s interference
in Balochistan is in a way its answer to Pakistan’s interference in Kashmir and
just like India’s Kashmir issue, the roots of the Balochistan conflict, go back
to the country’s independence. Under the British Crown, Balochistan was a free
nation but was economically and socially underdeveloped with a very low
literacy rate and a mainly rural population. Three months before the formation
of Pakistan, Muhammed Ali Jinnah who was also the lawyer of the Baloch Rulers, had
negotiated the freedom of Baluchistan under Kalat from the British. Discussions
were made about Kalat's relationship with Pakistan as it was formed. This
ensued a series of meetings between the Viceroy, as the Crown’s Representative,
Jinnah and the Khan of Kalat. By 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah had a change of decision
on the recognition of Kalat as an “Independent and a Sovereign State and wanted
the Khan of Kalat to sign the same form of instrument of accession as the other
states which had joined Pakistan.
The Khan of Kalat resisted this decision and refused to sign
a treaty. The discussion and negotiations went on until March 26, 1948 when
Pakistan ordered its Army to move into the Baloch coastal region of Pasni,
Jiwani and Turbat. Kalat surrendered on March 27 after the army moved into the
coastal region and it was announced in Karachi that the Khan of Kalat has
agreed to join his state with Pakistan. The independent Baloch state after
British withdrawal from India lasted only 227 days and during this time
Baluchistan had a flag flying in its embassy in Karachi where its ambassador to
Pakistan lived. It was this forceful accession of Balochistan that the people
of Balochistan, dissatisfied with the treaty raised
the armed revolt. Pakistan has been struggling to gain a full control
over the region and been using the Pakistani Army to maintain law and order in
the country. The Pakistani Army has been blamed of brutalities against the
citizens of Balochistan and Baloch’s believe that the Pakistani has been working
as henchmen who are payed to protect Chinese interests in Baloch soil.
India for a long time has maintained its stand that it would
not interfere in the internal matters of other countries and had never brought
up the Balochistan issue at any international platform, despite Pakistan
repeatedly fueling the Kashmir issue but when the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif raised the Kashmir issue in his Independence Day speech, The Indian Prime
Minister reciprocated by thanking the people of Balochistan without mentioning
Pakistan. This hit Pakistan’s ego where it hurts the most. Balochistan has become
a new geo political playground. India is supporting the movement of the people
of Balochistan which is a great move for India to keep Pakistan under check. The
Pakistani forces know that if India increasing foot hold in Balochistan is strengthening
the Indian Army and RAW’s efforts to accurate
intelligence on the movements and activities of all Anti-India terrorist groups,
deploy its covert ops assets to carry out quick counter terrorism operations,
India’s intelligence assets and envoys in Pakistan and to make sure that
embarrassing failures like Kargil, 26/11 etc. never repeat.
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