Explained | Why Balochistan is teetering on the brink

On a cold winter morning in November 2024, nearly 100 people stood at the Quetta Railway Station waiting to board the Jaffar Express travelling to Rawalpindi. At about 8:25 am, a strong blast tore through the station, killing 32 and injuring another 60 (the majority of these were security personnel travelling to their homes on leave). Pakistani officials confirmed that this attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, and responsibility was later claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army or BLA, an armed insurgent group in Balochistan which is in conflict with the Pakistani establishment. This bombing was part of a series of violent attacks which has plagued the nation for decades.

Quetta recently found itself in the eye of the storm once again when insurgents from BLA carried out a daring hijacking of the Jaffar Express in this mountainous region and took all the passengers hostage (about 400 in total, a majority of them once again being Pakistani security personnel). The Pakistan Army, however, was able to secure the release of a large number of hostages initially and later rescue about 190 while killing all 33 insurgents. The militants shot 21 passengers.

Balochistan has been on the boil for some time now but the recent spate of killings and uprisings showcases the volatility of the region. Over the latter half of the 20th century, Pakistan has been dealing with rising insurgency from the Baloch region and the Pakistan Government has often found itself at odds with the groundswell of unrest in this region.

If one has to understand the reasons for the discontent of the Baloch people with the Pakistan establishment and the subsequent rise of insurgency in the region, it is important to know the history of the land and to know when and how the seeds of discord were sowed. 

Balochistan: The root of discontent

With Iran to its West and Afghanistan forming its Northern border, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan, forming approximately 44 per cent of its territory. The province also has a 770 km long coastline along the Arabian Sea making it geographically sound.

However, it is also the most sparsely populated province of the country and to this date also remains the most underdeveloped region of Pakistan. This is despite the fact that it has been gifted with an abundance of resources including natural gas and rich mineral reserves which contribute significantly towards Pakistan's economy. 

Residents of Balochistan nurture a long-standing grouse with the federal government pertaining to the lack of provincial autonomy, social and economic degradation, as well exploitation of the land for resources, without giving back anything to the region either in the form of development or in terms of economic support.

Balochistan and the curse of British colonisation 

There are three major ethnic groups in Balochistan: Balochs, Brauhis and Pashtuns. However, Balochs and Brauhis are considered to be one, and they form the largest ethnic group in the province. Hence the name Balochistan is derived from the Baloch tribe. 

People who hail from this province derive their identity from their culture and are highly attuned to it". They take great pride in their literature which boasts of victorious battles dating back to the 10th century. 

Prior to colonisation, Balochistan was host to a number of tribes who were often at odds with each other. It wasn’t until the 18th century, when Nasir Khan, the sixth Khan of Kalat, decided to unify all the tribes under one authority with a unified army and a singular administrative system, for the betterment of the region. The province was made up of four princely states namely: Kalat, Makran, Kharan and Las Bela of which Kalat was the largest. Under Khan’s rule, the province flourished.

But all this came to pass with the advent of British rule. The colonial powers once again used their age-old tactic of divide and rule by reducing Khan’s powers and giving financial and social backing to the tribal chiefs. This not only ensured that tribes would never band together but also guaranteed they would always remain at odds with one another. This allowed the British to take the reins of the land. 

British departure paves for Pakistan government

When the British took their leave, the erstwhile state of British India was divided and Pakistan was carved out in 1947. During this partition, Balochistan province went to Pakistan, however, the Baloch subjects were reluctant to accede to the newly formed country, fearing they would be drowned out by the Punjabi majority, and as a result on August 15, 1947, Mir Ahmad Yar Khan, the last Khan of Kalat, declared the state as independent.

In 1948, the Pakistan Army’s garrison situated in Balochistan was ordered to march on Kalat following which, Khan signed the instrument of accession and joined the dominion of Pakistan. However his brother, Prince Karim, was less than happy with this situation and revolted against the Pakistan government and absconded to Afghanistan in the hope of garnering support to topple the government. This 1948 conflict was the first of the four major disputes between Balochistan and the Pakistani government. 

People of Balochistan weren’t just afraid that the dominance of one ethnic group would slowly erode their own culture, they were also aware that beneath the land they walk upon, lies a gold mine of rich and abundant natural resources, which if utilised wisely, can catapult the country’s economy to a much higher level, and this very treasure trove of resources became the focal point of conflict. 

Battle of Resources

According to reports, Balochistan is home to a diverse range of minerals, including coal, sulphur, chromite, iron ore, barite, marble, and quartzite, among others. More significant however is the fact that Balochistan is also rich in the one resource every nation covets – Liquid Gold.

Balochistan’s abundant reserves of oil and natural gas largely remain untapped. People of Balochistan feel that the federal government exploit their land by taking the resources from them and providing them to the rest of the country while depriving the locals of these very resources.

A case in point would be the Sui Gas Deposits. Discovered in 1953, the gas from these deposits was provided to parts of Punjab like Multan and Rawalpindi in 1964 but Quetta, the capital of Balochistan received this gas only in 1986.

However, the Pakistan government is now eyeing an even more expansive project: Gwadar Port. Under the control of the central government, the Gwadar Port is part of China’s multi-billion dollar project called the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC. 

The CPEC, in turn, is a crucial part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Initially, the people of Balochistan were happy with this project but the creation of a land market, a military base and the inflow of non-Balochis in their land quickly soured their moods as fear of being a minority in their own land gripped them. 

This very fear gave rise to a number of insurgent groups in the province of which the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) remains the most active.

Rise of Balochistan Liberation Army

Founded in 2000, this separatist group rose to power with the sole aim of attaining independence for Balochistan. 

The BLA holds Pakistan responsible for the degradation of the land. It accuses the authorities of exploiting the land for its natural resources while doing very little for the people of the region. 

The death of Baloch nationalist leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti in 2006 and being branded as a terrorist organization served as the catalyst event for the separatist group. Since then, they have intensified their attacks mainly targeting Pakistani Army personnel as well as infrastructure which is funded by China.

Last year alone, the group carried out more than 150 attacks which included the Quetta Railway Station Bombing. However, many experts say that the hijacking of the Jaffar Express represents a significant escalation in BLA’s tactics. 

This escalation points to the fact that there is greater collaboration between “Baloch and Sindhi militant organisations and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).”

The question arises: How do you resolve the growing resentment among the people of Balochistan? 

Is there a solution?

Experts and diplomats claim that the hitherto tactic of the Pakistan government of suppressing the voice of the locals by using brute force will only alienate Balochistan and drive them to take support from insurgent groups like BLA or even the Taliban. 

There has been a rise in the involvement of educated middle-class professionals including women in the BLA. This showcases that BLA isn’t just dominated by traditional tribal chiefs but instead has garnered support among people from all walks of life. 

Experts claim that the first step in the way forward would be inclusivity and greater representation for the Baloch people with the Pakistan govt showing interest in engaging in dialogue.