July 5, 2011
By HH Khan of Kalat Suleiman Daud Ahmadzai
Baluchistan means the land of Baluch. It is situated at the eastern edge of the Middle East, linking Central Asian states with the Indian subcontinent and Indian
Ocean. Presently Baluchistan is divided into three parts under the occupation of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Baluchistan is an ancient inhabited land with
more than 5,000 years of history; it’s a land of contrast.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the history of Baluch people and Baluchistan has been the story of liberation, occupations, state building, nation building, struggle for
survival and continuity. For millenniums, throughout the history of Empires, every empire had left its mark on Baluchistan: Moghul, Persian, Turks, Arab and British.
Empires have come and gone but the Baluch survived as a unique nation with distinction in character, language, homeland, culture and sense of belonging to the
land called Baluchistan. The Baluch have defeated aggressors and empires. Today, once again, Baluchistan has been divided and occupied and we are
struggling once more to defeat the aggressors who occupied our county, enslaved our people and looted our national wealth with the help of multi-national
The 1940s Islamic rhetoric failed to impress the Baluch. The Kalat National Party was a secular party and aligned with the Indian National Congress. The Kalat
National Party took signals from Mir Ahmad Yar Khan. The Khan of Kalat, with historical justification, rightly believed that Baluchistan was never part of India.
Jinnah accepted that Baluchistan was never part of India and signed an agreement. On August 11, 1947, Kalat Baluchistan declared independence. On 14th
August 1947 Pakistan was carved out of India on religious grounds.
But in practice Pakistan never accepted Baluchistan’s independence and insisted on unconditional accession on the basis of shared religion. Pakistan has
ignored the Baluch opinion.
Pakistan gave the status of states to three Kalat tribal chiefs: Kharan, Las Bela and Mukran, a Kalat district, and used its military to occupy Baluchistan on March
the 27th, 1948.
The reaction against the occupation was strong. The occupation led to many armed uprisings: the 1948 uprising led by Agha Abdul Karim, 1958 by Nawab Nouroz
Khan, Mir Lawang Khan, Mir Ali Mohammad Mengal and many others, the 1965 Muree uprising under the leadership of Mir Shero Muree and Mir Hazar Muree, the
1970s uprising and now the present one.
The annexation of Kharan, Lasbela and Mukran were illegal and has no legitimacy. The relationship between Baluchistan and Pakistan is an exercise of power by
the Punjabi over the Baluch. The world has been tolerating the illegitimate use of force and the illegal occupation of sovereign Baluchistan.
The rest of the history of Baluchistan under Pakistani occupation has been one of broken promises and the pains of mothers whose children are missing. The
story of Islamic Pakistan for the Baluch has been the pain of more than 10,000 missing persons at present who are suffering in illegal detention centres and the
pains of mothers, fathers, daughters and wives who do not know if their loved ones will ever return home alive.
The indiscriminate bombing of villages has forced more than 300,000 thousand Baluch to abandon their homes. The international community and humanitarian
organisations are prevented from visiting the IDPs. The Pakistan government will not allow any aid to be given to the IDPs by international humanitarian
Selig Harrison describes the situation Baluchistan as Slow Motion Genocide. The international community and peace loving people of the world must act now to
stop the genocide in Baluchistan. What we want is for Pakistan to respect Baluchistan sovereignty. Pakistan must withdraw its Army, Frontier Corp and Frontier
force from Baluchistan.