Baloch Nationalists

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Baloch nationalism () is an ideology that asserts that the Baloch people, an Iranic ethnic group native to Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, form a distinct nation.

Baloch ethnicity and nationalism

Baloch people are an Iranic ethnic group native to southeastern Iran, southwestern Pakistan and southern Afghanistan.

The Baloch nationalist movement's demands have ranged from greater cultural, economic and political rights, to political autonomy, to outright secession and the creation of an independent state of Balochistan. The movement is secular and was originally inspired by Marxist–Leninist liberation movements.

The movement claims to receive considerable support from the Baloch diaspora in Oman, the UAE, Sweden, Norway, and other countries. Pakistan has repeatedly made claims that the Baloch nationalists have received funding from India, although these have been denied by India. Similarly, Afghanistan has acknowledged providing covert support to the Baloch nationalist militants. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Republic of Afghanistan provided sanctuary to Baloch militants. The Republic of Afghanistan had established training camps in Kandahar to train Baloch militants and also to provide arms and ammunition.

Modern Baloch nationalism

Baloch nationalism in its modern form began in the form of the Anjuman-e-Ittehad-e-Balochan-wa-Balochistan based in Mastung in 1929, led by Yousaf Aziz Magsi, Abdul Aziz Kurd and others. In November 1929, Yousaf Aziz Magsi published an article stating the aims of the group, namely:

# Unification and independence of Balochistan;
# A democratic, socialist system guided by Islamic universalism;
# Abolition of the sardari-jirga system;
# Free, compulsory education for the Baloch, and equality for Baloch women;
# Promotion of Baloch culture.''Baloch Nationalism: Its Origin and Development'', Taj Mohammad Breseeg, 2004

Simultaneously with the formation of the Anjuman, Baloch intellectuals in Karachi formed a nationalist organisation, called the Baloch League.

In February 1937, the Anjuman reorganised and became the Kalat State National Party, carrying on the Anjuman's political agenda of an independent united state of Balochistan. They demanded the independence of the ancient Khanate of Kalat, which was later incorporated into Pakistan in 1955. The party was dominated by more secular-minded, anti-imperialist and populist elements, such as Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, Mir Gul Khan Naseer and Abdul Aziz Kurd. When parliamentary elections were held in the State of Kalat, the party was the largest winner with a considerable majority.

In 2017, the World Baloch Organisation placed advertisements on taxis in London to say ''#FreeBalochistan'' along with slogans such as "Stop enforced disappearances" and "Save the Baloch people". These were initially allowed but later denied permission by Transport for London. The World Baloch Organisation claimed that this was a result of pressure from the Pakistani Government after the British High Commissioner in Islamabad was summoned to appear before the Pakistani Foreign Secretary.

Surveys

A survey in 2009 by the Pew Research Center found that 58% of respondents in Balochistan chose "Pakistani" as their primary mode of identification, 32% chose their ethnicity and 10% chose both equally.

In 2012, Gallup conducted a survey for the United Kingdom's Department for International Development that revealed that 37 percent of Baloch were in favour of independence. Amongst Balochistan's Pashtun population support for independence was lower at 12 percent. Sixty-seven percent of Balochistan's population favoured greater provincial autonomy.

See also

* Balochistan Liberation Army
* Insurgency in Balochistan
* Saraikistan
* Separatist movements of Pakistan
* Sindhudesh
* Sindhudesh Liberation Army

Citations

General and cited references

* Selig Harrison, ''In Afghanistan's Shadow: Baluch Nationalism and Soviet Temptations'', Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, New York, 1981
* Selig Harrison (Winter 1980–1981)
Baluch Nationalism and Superpower Rivalry
(), ''International Security'', Vol. 5 No. 3. pp. 152–163.
* Paul Titus and Nina Swidler (February 2000)
Knights, Not Pawns: Ethno-Nationalism and Regional Dynamics in Post-Colonial Balochistan
''International Journal of Middle East Studies'', Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 47–69.

External links

The Resurgence of Baluch Nationalism
Frederic Grare, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Paper No. 65, January 2006

Balochistan's history of insurgency

Pakistan: The Worsening Conflict in Balochistan
International Crisis Group, Asia Report No. 119, 14 September 2006

{{Ethnic nationalism

Baloch society
Balochistan
History of Balochistan
Nationalist movements in Asia