Balochistan's Martyrdom Day: What it should mean to rest of the world

Balochistan, subjugated and illegally occupied by Pakistan after 1947, remembers its martyrs every year on 13 November. Though the commemoration of this day started in remembrance of the Nawab Mehrab Khan, the ruler of Kalat and his small army who fought against the British on this day in 1839 but now Balochis remember those martyred in their freedom movement against Pakistan. Since 2005, Pakistani security forces have brutally repressed the Baloch nationalist movement, fuelling ethnic and sectarian violence in the province. But the Pakistani armed forces have failed to eliminate the insurgency—and the bloodshed continues. Any social structures in Balochistan capable of containing the rise of radicalism have been weakened by repressive tactics. A power vacuum is emerging, creating a potentially explosive situation that abuts the most vulnerable provinces of Afghanistan. Only a political solution is likely to end the current chaos. Balochistan constitutes 44 per cent of the geographical area of Pakistan. It has strategically located Gwadar port and has huge reserves of copper, natural gas in addition to several other minerals. A Pakistan-China nexus has been exploiting this region to the hilt. The annexation of the state of Kalat to Pakistan was itself illegal as it was done by force and not by the will of the people. The Balochi resistance movement against Pakistan’s occupation is now seven and a half decades old. Given the resources Balochistan has, it should have been a highly developed region. But the facts paint a grim picture. According to a UN publication, ‘DAP( Development Advocate Pakistan)’ Volume 10, Issue 1, April 2023: “About two-third of women in Balochistan do not have access to pre- and post-natal care services, while this ratio is a little over one-third in Punjab; only one-fifth of all households are connected to the internet) A very limited number of households own a computer in all the provinces, but Balochistan again comes at the bottom, with only 6.45 percent of households owning a computer - which is half of the households in Punjab and KhyberPakhtunkhwa.” This UN publication further says, “Balochistan has a staggering child stunting rate of 45.5 percent which is much above the national average. Balochistan also lags behind in the immunization of children, with a little over half of its 12-23-month-old children immunized..Only 19 percent of women in Balochistan have a primary or higher education; Overall in Pakistan, the female labour force participation is very low. However, it is just 7.9 percent in Balochistan compared to 26.5 percent in the best performing province of Punjab.” A research paper published in June 2023(Ejaz, M., Ullah, K, Shabbir, A, & Ahmed, W (2023). The implications of the state’s response to the violent ethnic conflicts in Balochistan. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal (LASSIJ), 7(1), 155-171) has tried to analyse the underlying reasons that led to the present situation in Balochistan, “ The state (of Pakistan) tried to defuse the unity and power of Baloch ethnicity with the weapon of Islamization and the creation of Islamic forces in the province. …This attempt by the state resulted in the rise of extremism in the province, a thing that was unknown to the people before. Baloch activists considered that the state is still using this weapon against their movement. Baloch nationalists rejected the Islamization progression because they alleged it was an attempt to isolate them from the centre of powers.” The paper further states, “The insurgents’ demand for a separate state is gaining popularity because of Baloch’s continuous distrust and repression. The Pakistani government responded to these conflicts primarily with military operations… Pakistan’s military started several campaigns against them, but the issue is yet to be resolved. The result of this state’s repressive response proved negative, as most of the nationalists, who were demanding autonomy before, also became insurgents in reaction. The military response created the reaction of the nationalists.” An official statement by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan(HRCP) sums up the situation. The statement was issued in Quetta while it launched a fact-finding report titled ‘Balochistan’s Struggle for Hope’ in April 2023. The HRCP has expressed deep concern about the mounting public frustration in Balochistan over enforced disappearances, economic exclusion, curbs on press freedom, misgovernance, and allegations of political manipulation by the establishment. Based on an HRCP fact-finding mission conducted in October 2022, the report documents a palpable sense of anger among ordinary citizens, many of whom referred to Balochistan as a ‘colony’ of the state. “The report consists of interviews with a wide range of civil society members, including human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and members of the fisherfolk community, as well as political leaders and members of the administration in Gwadar, Turbat, Panjgur, and Quetta. It also notes with concern the state’s widespread use of enforced disappearances to muzzle dissent, and the extensive presence of paramilitary check-posts, which citizens say has cultivated a climate of fear, particularly in Makran. Additionally, the resource-rich province continues to be deprived of its fair share of revenues from large development projects with the absence of a healthy legal trading ecosystem between Balochistan and neighbouring countries has exacerbated poverty levels in the province.” “The report recommends an immediate halt to unwarranted interference in Balochistan’s political affairs by the establishment, accountability for perpetrators of enforced disappearances, and legislation by the Balochistan Assembly to protect the security and independence of the province’s media professionals. It also calls for the long-standing demands of the Haq Do Tehreek for basic amenities to be met, while any ongoing or planned projects under CPEC should not impinge on the Gwadar fisherfolk community’s source of livelihood.” Conclusion Balochistan’s resistance movement against Pakistan is a fight for survival for the Balochis. They are struggling to undo the wrongs done, first by the British and later by Pakistan. The people of  Balochistan are at the bottom of all human development indicators. That is an indicator of how Pakistan has colonised Balochistan. Thousands of lives have been sacrificed by Balochis over the last seven and a half decades in a  bid to regain control of their own destiny which is doomed if it continues to be governed by Pakistan. Pakistan security forces and radicalised Islamic groups backed by the Pakistan state and Pakistan military have unleashed relentless repression targeting Balochis. It is important for the rest of the world to recognise Balochistan’s struggle for survival and support this resistance movement as a part of its commitment to decolonisation. There should be a global effort to give Balochistan their basic right to have freedom. The writer is an author and columnist and has written several books. He tweets @ArunAnandLive. 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