WHAT IS THE WHOLE ISSUE OF BALOCHISTAN ?

Balochistan may be a troubled province of Pakistan, but it is called the Golden Bird. The reason is the immense treasure in the form of minerals present here. The people of Balochistan are well aware of the fact that their region is the richest in natural resources in Pakistan. That is why Baloch rebels are creating chaos these days.

As per reports, recently Baloch terrorists attacked the Jaffar Express train near a tunnel. At the time of the attack, about 500 passengers were traveling on the train. The Pakistani army rescued 346 hostages safely and killed 33 Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) fighters during the rescue operation.

The operation lasted for more than 24 hours. In this attack, the rebels killed 21 passengers, as well as four paramilitary soldiers. The Jaffar Express train was going from Balochistan's capital Quetta to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for this attack.

The Baloch Liberation Army had given a 20-hour ultimatum to the Pakistan government, saying that either the hostages should be exchanged or be ready to face dire consequences. The BLA had claimed that they had killed 100 Pakistani soldiers so far and had taken 150 people hostage.

 

THE AIM OF BLA IS THE INDEPENDENCE OF BALOCHISTAN

Looking at the past few attacks, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has been attacking Chinese workers and infrastructure such as convoys and projects, which directly threatens the safety of China's investment and personnel. The hijacking of Jaffar Express shows the growing capabilities of BLA. The way the Jaffar Express train was hijacked, Jinping must be worried about the threat to his project. The BLA brigade has more than 5,000 fighters. They have a stockpile of weapons.

The aim of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is the independence of Balochistan. That is, an independent country separate from Pakistan - Balochistan. But Pakistan forcibly rules Balochistan. It exploits its natural resources. It only sucks Balochistan, and gives nothing in return. Due to this resentment, BLA carried out the Pakistan train hijacking incident.

For a long time, China's CPEC project has been opposed in Pakistan's Balochistan. Balochistan's rebels have protested against this project after hijacking the passenger train Jaffar Express. The CPEC project, which is a headache not only for Balochistan but also for India.

 

 

 

WHAT IS THE CPEC PROJECT OF JINPING?

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is actually a project related to infrastructure facilities, which is running across Pakistan with the help of China. This is a part of the One Belt One Road project started by the Chinese government. The initial cost of this ambitious project of Chinese President Xi Jinping was estimated to be 46 billion dollars in the year 2013.

However, by the year 2017, the estimated cost of the total expenditure on this had reached 62 billion dollars. Under this project, an economic corridor is being built from Gwadar in Pakistan to Kashgar in China. Through this corridor, China will have easy access to the Arabian Sea. Under CPEC, China is working on roads, ports, airports, railways, and energy projects in Pakistan.

In 2013, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and China's Premier Li Keqiang decided to increase mutual connectivity and signed several agreements for economic cooperation. All these agreements were for the long term, including the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Later, the project was discussed between Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Premier Li Keqiang in China and it was announced.

 

 

PROTESTS IN BALOCHISTAN FROM THE BEGINNING

The people of Balochistan believe that their region is the richest in natural resources in Pakistan. These include oil, gas, and minerals etc. It is considered the richest province of Pakistan in terms of natural resources. Pakistan exploits them through foreign powers like China but the local people do not get any benefit from it.

The Baloch people say that the Pakistani government is taking over their resources. In return, they have to live in poverty. Apart from this, it is also said that China is settling its citizens in Balochistan on the pretext of the project. That is why as soon as China started the project, the Balochs started attacking Chinese employees, which continues to date. Due to this, the pace of the project slows down at times.

The people of Balochistan want to separate from Pakistan but Pakistan does not want to leave it. Balochistan has a different cultural and historical identity. Its biggest part is in South Western Pakistan. Pakistan's biggest province Balochistan is spread over about 44 percent of the country's land. However, only six percent of the country's total population of 25 crore lives here. Balochistan is named after a tribe called Baloch, which has been living there for centuries.

One of the main reasons for this is discrimination against the people of Balochistan. The history, language, and culture of the people there are the same but after the formation of Pakistan, only Punjabis have dominated Balochistan. From bureaucracy to all the institutions, people from Punjab have had a stronghold.

Apart from this, Pakistan is surrendering an important part of Balochistan to China by falling at its feet. It is exploiting the natural resources there but the poverty of the local people is not ending. In such a situation, the people of Balochistan believe that along with taking over their resources, Pakistan is doing injustice to them.

Balochistan is located on the western border of Pakistan and is directly connected to Iran and Afghanistan. Therefore, it is strategically important for Pakistan as well.

 

WHO ARE CALLED HALF WIDOW

8000 women in Balochistan are called Half Widows, which means they do not know whether their husbands are alive or have been killed by the Pakistan Army. An organization has made a list of 8000 Baloch missing persons only during Musharraf's time.

Musharraf had carried out a dangerous massacre of the Balochs, which also included the murder of Balochistan's biggest leader Nawab Bugti, who was a Union Minister and MP.

Mehrzaad Baluch writes through The Diplomat – Asia-Pacific Current Affairs Magazine, that human rights organizations, international media, and policymakers must hold Pakistan accountable. The thousands of forcibly disappeared Baloch deserve justice, and their right to self-determination must be acknowledged. The longer the world remains silent, the more the violence will spiral.

 

BALOCHISTAN HAS A VERY ANCIENT HISTORY

Balochistan has been an important part of undivided India. Historians believe that this state of Pakistan was included in Aryavarta, the land of the Aryans. If we believe the ancient historians of India, then Afghani, Pashtun, Baloch, Punjabi, and Kashmiri all belong to the Puru dynasty, that is, all of them are Pauravas.

In 7200 BC, that is, about 9200 years ago, Puru, one of the five sons of Yayati, ruled over the largest part of the earth. The Balochs also believe that their history began nine thousand years ago.

During the Mahajanapada period in India, Baluchistan was considered a part of Gandhara Janapada, one of the 16 Mahajanapadas. Pre-Harappan and Harappan period remains have been found in Balakot, about 90 km from Nalakot in Baluchistan.

In the modern era, Balochistan was an important part of India until the partition of India in 1947. There were Sardars in Makran, Las Bela, Kalat, and Kharan areas. They were all considered loyal to the British.

The Sardar of Kalat is said to be the most powerful, under whom all the other Sardars were subordinate. At the time of partition, the last Sardar of Kalat, Ahmed Yar Khan, demanded a separate country. He hoped that due to his good relations with Mohammad Ali Jinnah, his area would be recognized as a separate country.

 

OTHER PEOPLE’S OPINIONS

Former Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid said that the attack on the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan is a sign that Pakistan is on the verge of collapse. His reaction shows that the Pakistan army and government have lost control over Balochistan.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman had said in the Pakistan Senate that 6-7 districts of Balochistan are completely under the control of terrorists, the Pakistan government or the Pakistan army have no control over them.

Al Jazeera reports Balochistan province has seen a 119% rise in attacks and the state is struggling to contain the insurgency.

Pakistani authorities - as well as several Western countries, including the UK and US - have designated the group a terrorist organization.

Balochistan analyst Malik Siraj Akbar says the group is now carrying out bigger attacks, as evidenced by the attack on the Jaffar Express train. This shows they have become more emboldened and the government cannot stop them.

Pakistan is on the verge of collapse. This incident has highlighted the seriousness of security in Pakistan. Just a few days ago, all the terrorist organizations of Balochistan and Sindh united and challenged the sovereignty of the Pakistani government and the Pakistani army. In reality, separatist activities have been going on in Balochistan for a long time, which has now become a big challenge for the Pakistani government and the army.