The untold story of human rights violations in Balochistan: Unveiling the historical context

For the past seven decades, the Pakistani government has been accused of committing mass killings and unlawful executions in Balochistan as part of an ongoing policy. These actions have reportedly escalated significantly since 2002, with military and civil intelligence agencies working alongside militias, death squads, and religious groups to forcibly disappear and detain thousands of Baloch intellectuals, political activists, and social figures. Shockingly, it has become commonplace to discover the bodies of Baloch activists with visible signs of torture. In the last 17 years, over 15,000 people have been confirmed as extrajudicially killed or missing, while almost half a million have been forced to flee their homes. Many have sought refuge in countries such as the UK.

The Baloch people of Pakistan have been the victims of severe human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture, allegedly carried out by state security forces and their allies. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) revealed that from 2003 to 2019, at least 7,000 people went missing or were killed in Balochistan, with many of them being political activists, students, and intellectuals. Similarly, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) claimed that since 2001, approximately 8,000 Baloch individuals have gone missing, and many are presumed to have been killed. According to Amnesty International, over 1,000 Baloch people were killed by state security forces between 2010 and 2016, while more than 600 remain missing. The report also exposed the widespread use of torture and inhumane treatment against Baloch detainees, with some of them dying as a result. Similarly, prominent Baloch activist Munir Mengal delivered a powerful address at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on March 19, 2023. He exposed the grave injustices inflicted upon the Baloch people, referencing a chilling report by a non-governmental organization. The report revealed that 787 individuals, including 101 women and 63 children under the age of 13, suffered from enforced discipline—enduring brutal coercion and control. Shockingly, 31 mutilated corpses of missing persons were also discovered, bearing witness to the extent of the atrocities. Regrettably, only 96 people were released, leaving countless others to endure unimaginable hardship. Mengal's impassioned plea aimed to bring attention to these alarming figures and shed light on the relentless persecution faced by the Baloch community. These appalling statistics demonstrate the dire human rights situation in Balochistan and emphasize the need for accountability and justice for the victims of these heinous crimes.

To unravel the perplexing situation in Balochistan, it is imperative to delve into the historical context of the Baloch-Pakistan relationship. Only by exploring the roots of this complex relationship can we begin to comprehend the causes behind the tragic events that have befallen the Baloch people. By examining the past, we can shed light on the present and ultimately work towards creating a brighter future for all those impacted by this longstanding conflict.

Unveiling the Grisly Tales of Balochistan

Decades after the end of World War II, the British Empire withdrew from India. However, in order to protect the West's strategic and economic interests during the Cold War, it swiftly implemented its longstanding strategy of dividing India and creating a puppet state. To achieve this, the colonial administration relied on a false theory that the Muslims of India constituted a separate nation. The pro-colonialist Muslim League party was given the task of demanding a state for this non-existent "nation of Islam." Strangely, Christians, Buddhists, and adherents of other religions were not designated as nations, and no states were created for them.

The creation of Pakistan was a surprise to the region's nations, who aspired to independence after the British withdrawal. However, the Baloch, Sindhis, and Pashtuns were incorporated into the puppet state against their will and only faced a change of colonial rulers. Pakistan is a unique example in the world's political history because the colonial administration fabricated the ideology of the newly independent country, the party demanding independence was made up of Indian lackeys of the colonial administration, and the leadership of the newly independent state was imported from elsewhere. Moreover, Urdu, the declared national language, was not the language of any constituent nation of the newly liberated country. As a result, the state itself faced a crisis of legitimacy, and the establishment employed various socio-cultural, political, and militant strategies to eliminate anything that might suggest a multinational picture for the state.

The use of state violence became necessary because the ruling Punjabis had nothing in common with the Baloch or other national entities in Pakistan except their religious beliefs. The state created a complex military organization with affiliated political and religious groups to combat the national aspirations of the subjugated nations. The Baloch state, the Khanate of Kalat, declared independence on June 11, 1947, after the British withdrawal from India. However, Pakistan invaded and annexed the Baloch state on March 27, 1948, despite the Standstill Agreement recognizing the Khanate as an independent sovereign state. The Baloch rejected the forceful annexation and implemented various strategies to counter the Baloch national aspirations, resulting in many political and armed resistance movements with much bloodshed.

The Pakistani state blatantly fabricated historical facts, human social values, and regional realities in the school curriculum, focusing on the fallacious concept of Islamic nationhood and negating all national identities. The Balochi language is banned in schools, and notorious plunderers and savage warlords of the Middle East and Central Asia who carried out acts of genocide on the Baloch and other peoples in the region are being portrayed as national heroes. To dilute the Baloch national resistance, Pakistan systematically adopted policies to introduce religion as a political factor in Baloch society. The Baloch identity concerning their religious beliefs is one of religious tolerance, and they never politicized religion, which always remained in the personal sphere.

However, after the 9/11 incidents in the USA, the Pakistani establishment found the unconditional and all-out support of the civilized world as an opportunity to complete its long-term plan of doing away with the Baloch national question. The Baloch and Pakistani security forces became embroiled in a bloody and protracted resistance movement in Balochistan with much horror and brutality. The ongoing conflict has caused much devastation to the Baloch, with the highest casualties, disappearances, and population displacement.

Reports and claims by certain Pakistani government officials, Baloch nationalist parties, Baloch human rights groups, and international human rights organizations paint a gruesome picture of the situation in Balochistan since 2005, with daily dumping of mutilated bodies of missing persons, enforced disappearances, and inhumane torture of Baloch political activists.

Additionally, the Baloch students persistently confront intimidation, harassment, racial profiling, and enforced disappearances, both within Balochistan and in other provinces. These egregious violations extend to educational institutions, where their safety and well-being are compromised. Shockingly, instead of taking measures to safeguard their rights, the government actually challenges the Islamabad High Court's directive to investigate the racial profiling of Baloch students. This demonstrates a significant failure on the part of the government to fulfill its responsibility in ensuring the protection and security of Baloch students.

In the face of relentless violence targeting the people of Balochistan, it is high time for the international community to awaken from its slumber and unite in support of the suffering Baloch population. The harrowing scenes of everyday violence unfolding in Balochistan demand immediate attention and action. The plight of the Baloch people cannot be ignored any longer, and concerted efforts must be made before it is too late.

(Article by Indian Navy veteran Manan Bhatt)