Baloch Separatist Movement

In his book, The Genesis of Baloch Nationalism: Politics and Ethnicity in Pakistan, 1947–1977, Pakistani scholar Salman Rafi Sheikh attempts to explain what he calls the “least understood political problem of Pakistan.” Puncturing several myths and falsehoods in the official narrative about the insurgency in Balochistan and using archival material and secret documents, including bulletins from the Baloch insurgent groups, he proceeds to give readers a fairly sound understanding of the nature of the problem. Chief among the myths promoted by the state of Pakistan is that this is a rebellion fomented by India and other powers. Sheikh’s analysis demolishes this myth, along with the other one that secessionist sentiments are fuelled by the “stubborn sardars” of Balochistan. The movement in Balochistan is not only an old one but also began with the aim of getting full recognition under a federated system of government. The demand for secession from Pakistan only grew with the increasing and multiple military interventions and actions to repress the movement and sideline the region which was not given full provincial status till 1970.

Root of the Conflict