Explained: What is Pakistan’s Balochistan question?

The unprecedented hijack of the nine-coach Jaffar Express in the depths of central Pakistan’s Bolan Pass, where nearly 440 passengers travelling from Quetta to Peshawar through the heart of the restive Balochistan province, were held captive for over 30 hours, has brought the focus sharply back on a problem that has dogged Pakistan since its creation in 1947. 

This time, however, the urgency of the deadly situation in the country’s biggest province, has been underlined as never before. When a group of armed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants bombed the tracks, fired on the train and stormed the carriages, the situation looked irredeemable. Authorities say that by the time security forces lifted the siege, 300 passengers were freed, while 33 BLA militants, 21 civilian hostages and four military personnel were killed. But conflicting figures suggest many passengers remain unaccounted for. We look at the history of the restive Balochistan province and the background of one of the world’s most brutal underground movements.

What is the Balochistan question in Pakistan?

Balochistan, 78 years after the creation of Pakistan, is a boiling cauldron of ethnic, sectarian, secessionist and militant violence. The most potent of them is the relentless battle between Baloch nationalists and the Pakistani state, which has continued in some or the other form since the controversial accession of the princely state of Kalat, as Balochistan was then called, to Pakistan in 1948.

Also Read: Pakistan train hijack: BLA militants killed, all hostages freed; 27 off-duty soldiers dead | Top points

What are Baloch’s principal grievances?

The Baloch narrative hinges on indelible historical memories of being independent and injustices meted out to them since their accession to Pakistan, particularly by the Punjabi-dominated military and bureaucracy.

What is the economic situation of the province?

Balochistan’s share of the national GDP has dropped from 4.9 per cent in the mid-1970s to less than 3 per cent currently, making it one of the poorest provinces in Pakistan. It has the highest mortality and poverty rates and the lowest literacy rate in Pakistan. In Quetta, the capital, only a third of the households are connected to the government water supply system.

What is the BLA’s position?

The Balochistan Liberation Army is an ethno-nationalist militant organisation, which stated as early as 1977: “In Islamabad’s calculations, Balochistan is a vast estate for plunder, an arid desert floating on oil and minerals. A large part of their political strategy is dictated by a desire to extract the treasure for the benefit of the Pakistani bureaucratic bourgeoisie and foreign imperialist interests.”

What is the political situation in Balochistan?

Balochistan, Pakistan’s biggest province — by surface area, it comprises about 44 per cent of the country — is a mosaic of fault lines. Apart from the Baloch nationalists and the Pakistani state, there are inter- and intra-tribal feuds, clashes and terror strikes. The last decade has been marked by frequent disappearance of people; in many cases, tortured and mutilated bodies of those missing have been discovered at a later date. Arbitrary detention is the norm.

Also Read: Day after Pakistan train hijack, 10 suicide bombers killed near military facility in South Waziristan

What is the history of political agitations in Balochistan?

Roughly, Balochistan has been rocked by four previous phases of insurgencies – in 1948, 1958, 1962 and 1973-77. While then they were mostly confined to tribal pockets, they transformed the Baloch society into a nascent nation. The current insurgency has crossed the tribal hump, acquiring grassroots support and a momentum of its own.

How does the train hijacking elevate the status of this seven-decade militancy?

This region now has a new player: a long-time Pakistan ally, China. The Gwadar Port in Balochistan is a crucial component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a large-scale infrastructure project connecting China to the Indian Ocean, with the port serving as a key link for trade and energy transit. CPEC envisions Gwadar as a vital link in the “One Belt, One Road” initiative and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road,” facilitating trade and energy transit between China and the Middle East. Security concerns, including attacks by Balochistan insurgents who say their views on these mega-projects were never sought, have raised questions about the long-term viability and success of CPEC projects in the region, the pet plans of Chinese President Xi Jinping.