Independent Baluchistan-Ataullah Mengal s Declaration of Independence

Ataullah Mengal's 'Declaration of Independence' Lawrence Lifschultz The plight of small nations or nationalities situated in crucially strategic regions on the borderline bet- ween two great systems has ever been one of tragedy, threat of extermination, and an all-too-familiar manipulation of local aspirations towards self-determination by more powerful and cynical regimes. Baluchistan, Pakistan's largest province, presents a modern version of the classical dilemma of a small nation under siege. The dilemma is further aggravated by the developments preceding and since the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.