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BalochistanBalochistanBalochistanBalochistan----crucescrucescrucescrucesof of of ofhistoryhistoryhistoryhistoryPostedby:Postedby:Postedby:Postedby:Shri.Shri.Shri.Shri.MaloyKrishnaDharMaloyKrishnaDharMaloyKrishnaDharMaloyKrishnaDharonFriday,April25th,2008Mostpuzzlingproblemsofhistory-theinscrutablecruces;arecreaturesofhistory,intertwinedwithpoliticalgeography,whichoftentranscendtotherealmsofgeostrategicGordianKnots.Balochistanissuchacrucesofhistory,whichlayinthemainmarchingtractofhumancivilisation,spanningtheeast,westandcentralAsianethnicandcivilisationalentities.Therefore,writingaboutpresentdayBalochistancannotbeconfinedtoafewskirmishesbetweenthePakistaniEstablishmentandthegloriousBalochpeopleandotherethnicandlinguisticgroups,whichhavemergededgeswiththeirBalochbrethren.TheBalochareanancientpeople,perhapscontemporaneoustotheinhabitantsofMoenjodaro.BeforeenteringintotheirheroicstruggleagainstthemyopicPakistanileadersandArmyEstablishmentweneedtounderstandaboutthishistoricpeoplethatbridgedvariousmeridiansofAsiancivilisations.Historiansseekapproximationoftruththroughdisagreement,finallysettlingdownonacommonminimumparameter.TheBalochriddleisnoexception.SomehistoriansguessthattheyinhabitedthenorthernregionsofElburzandeastofCaspianSea.ThistractisnowinhabitedbyAshkanis,whoclaimAryanoriginfromtrans-Caucasianpeople.ThisschoolbelievethattheBalochandtheKurdsareof Aryanorigin,asaretheIraniansandcertainstrainsofIndians.BalochlanguagestilltreasurescertaintraitsofIndo-Aryan-Iranianrootsandapplications,akintoSanskrit.Someproto-BalochspeakingpeoplestillliveinTurkmenistanandsurroundingareas.SomescholarsattributemigrationoftheBalochpeopletotheirpresentgeographicallocationaround1200B.C.RecognitionoftheirexistenceevenduringthetimesofkingCyrusandCombyseshavesubstantiatedtheirrouteofmigrationfromCaspianSearegionthroughnorthernIran.SomescholarsassertthattheBalochsaretheindigenouspeopleofBalochistanandtheyhadcreatedthefirstcivilisationoftheWorldaroundMehergarh.SomeBalochnationalistsprefertosupportthistheory.Otherhistorians,withaviewtosupportsupposedSemiticoriginoftheBaloch,maintainthattheycamefromHalab,Allepe,andarepeopleofoldSumerianofMesopotamianstock.ThepropagatorsofPakistanbeingasagaoftheIndusalonesubscribetothistheory.WhateverthepunditssaythehistoricalBalochtracthadwitnessedadmixtureoftheScythians,Parthians,Ashkanis,Sakas,Kushans,Huns,TurksandMongols.MostofthepunditsagreethattheBalochhavemoreincommonwiththeQurdishpeopleandotherpeoplesofAryanstockandtheyhavebasicethnicdifferenceswiththePunjabis,SindhisandPathans.ItisalsoborneoutofthefactthattheBrahuieBalochs(Kalatis)areethnicallydifferentfromthepeoplesofotherprovincesofPakistan.ThehistoriansalsodebatetheoriginoftheBrhuiesferventlyandagreementamongstthemisasrareasconjunctionofilluminatedcosmicdustbowls.ItismoreorlessagreedthattheBrahuieBalochsofBalochistanandSindarelinkedtothepeoplewhoinhabitedthe
 
HarappanandMoenjodarocivilisationaltractsalongtheSindhuandSaraswati(runningthroughGujaratandSind).Mostpunditshowever,agreethat‘theword‘Baloch’wasderivedfrom‘brza-vaciya,(brza-vak)’,meaningaloudcry,incontrastto‘namravak’,politewayoftalking.SomewritersmaintainthatetymologicallyitismadeoftwoChandas(VedicSanskrit)words,‘Bal’>‘Och’,meaningpowerfulandmagnificent.HistoryhadrepeatedlyreshapedthegeographicalboundariesoftheBalochpeople.BesidesthePakistanipartofBalochistaneasternIran-Sistan-hasavasttractinhabitedbythepeoplesofBalochstock.TheSakapeopleinhabitedSistanorthelandoftheSakas-Sakastanaaround128BC.TwoimportantethnicgroupsareBarahuieandBaloch,whospeakBolochtonguewithanadmixtureofBarahuieandPersianlanguagesinabitbothPakistaniandIranianBalochtracts.InmoderntimesAnglo-Afghanrelationswaxedandwanedbetween1838and1919constantlychangingandmargin-skirtingoftheBritishindianandAfghanterritories.TheAnglo-Afghanagreementof1893signedbetweenAmirAbdurRahman,andSirMortimerDurand,(BritishIndiangovernment)demarcateda‘permanentborder’betweenthetwocountries.Itwassupposedtobereviewedafter100yearsin1993.WhileAfghanistaninsistsonareview,Pakistanstoutlyassertsthattheborderwasfinallysignedandsealed.Thisdisputehasnotbeenresolved.Over300.000ethnicBalochpeopleinhabittheAfghanpartofBalochistan,thoughthePakhtoonsorPushtuns(Pathan)heavilypopulatethetract.ThePathanpeoplealsoinhabitlargetractsinPakistaniBalochistan.TheBalochpeoplehavefollowedaresilientsecularattitudetowardsreligiondespitegrowthofreligiousfanaticismelsewhereinPakistan.ThemajorityofBalochareHanafiSunnis,butthereisacommunityofanestimated500,000to700,000ZikriBaloch,wholiveinthecoastalMakranareaandinKarachi.TheZikrisbelieveintheMessiahNurPak,whoseteachingssupersedethoseoftheProphetMuhammad.Theirbeliefs,consideredheretical,haveledtointermittentSunnirepressionoftheircommunitysincefoundingofthesectinthefifteenthcentury.TheShiamajorityalsooftenharassestheIranianBalochs.OfthetotalpopulationofBalochistantheBalochsnumericallydominatethesouthoftheprovince.thePushtunsareinmajorityinandaroundQuettaandthenorth.theKalatregionandotherpartsoftheregionaredominatedbytheBrahuie.Infact,therulingfamilyofKalatrepresentedBrahuiepowerinthisregion.PersianspeakingDehwarsalsoliveintheKalatregionandfurtherwesttowardstheborderwithIran.ThecoastalMakranregionsareinhabitedbyMedsandsmallgroupsofdescendentsofAfricanslavesknownastheHubshi.Inaddition,769,000AfghanrefugeescanbefoundintheprovinceincludingPushtuns,Tajiks,andHazaras.Sindhifarmershavealsomovedtothemorearablelandsintheeast.AlargenumberofPunjabishaveoccupiedfertilelandintheeastandtheyareprominentlypresentinindustrialcomplexesinSuigasproject,PortGwadarandPortQasimfacilitiesandothermilitaryinstallations.MajorityoftheprofessionalworkforceintheprovinceoiriginatefromPunjabandSind.TheBalochsocietyfollowsstricthierarchicalpatterncharacterizedasfeudalmilitarism.Thehakims,areatthetopofthesystemandhisretinueconsistof
 
pastorals,agriculturists,tenantfarmersanddescendantsofformerslaves(hizmatkar).SardarsystemisfirmlyembeddedamongsttheBugti,Marri,Mengal,andZarakzai,Achakzaietctribes.Itwouldtherefore,beseenthattheBalochpeopleofPakistanhistoricallywalkedintothemodernagesasanindependentpeople-anadmixtureofBaloch,Brahuie,Pathanetcpeople.WhiletheStateofKalathademergedasthekernelofBalochpoliticalevolution,smallerStateslikeMakran,Kharan,andLasBelaalsoenjoyedconsiderableprosperity.Theywerenot‘thepeopleoftheIndus’asclaimedbycertainPakistanischolars.TheybelongedmoretoPersian,AfghanandKurdishorbits.TheBritish,ontheeveofdeparture,playedaneattrickwiththeBalochpeople.Theyprescribedthe3rdJunePlanandproclaimedthatthefutureofBritishBalochistanwastobedeterminedbyavotingcollegecomprisingtheShahiJirga-excludingtherepresentativesoftheBalochistanStates-andtheelectedmembersoftheQuettaMunicipality.TheplanvirtuallylimitedthevotingexercisetocertainloyalclientsofheBritishandtheMuslimLeague.TheKhanofKalat,MirAhmadYarKhan,whodreamedofanindependentBalochistanunderhissuzerainty,GhausBakhshBizenjo,anemergingBalochnationalist,andAbdusSamadKhanAchakzai,anavowedGandhianandtheleaderofIndianNationalCongress,campaignedtopreventthevotingcollegefromoptingforPakistan.Theireffortsfailedon29June1947andtheselectedElectoralCollege,underpressurefromtheBritishAgentsandMuslimLeague,votedinfavourofPakistan.ConcernedSardarsofmajortribesprotestedagainstBritishmanipulationofthesordidepisode.TheBritishhadassessedthataPakistaniBalochprovincewouldstandthemingoodsteadintheirstrategicbulwarkagainstIran,AfghanistanandnotsodistantSovietUnion.TheCrownrepresentativespersuadedtheStatesofKharan,MekranandLasBelatoaccedetoPakistan.TheBritishhaddeclaredintheGovernmentofIndiaAct,1935,thatKalatwasanIndianstate.AtthedawnofpartitiontheKalatrulerMirAhmedYarKhan,assertedindependence.HewaspursuadedbyhisformerlegaladvisorM.A.JinnahandBritishofficialstojoinPakistan.AcompactBalochistanpoliticalunitwasformedin1952.TheStatesofBalochistan-Kalat,Makran,KharanandLasBela-werepermittedtoform‘TheBalochistanStates’Union’.In1955,theseStatesweremadeapartofthe‘OneUnit’orthesingleprovinceofWestPakistantofacilitatetheframingofaconstitutiononthebasisoftheprincipleof‘parity’betweenthetwowingsofthecountry.Butbymid1957itbecameapparentthatthepoliticalsystemestablishedundertheConstitutionof1956wasnotlikelytosurvive.Formationof‘oneunit’ofBalochisatncamemuchlater.Thetractwitnessedrebellionin1948itself.PrinceKarim,brotheroftheKhanofKalat,revoltedagainstPakistanirule.ThegenesisofBalochresistanceisnormallytracedfromtherebellionofPrinceKarim.Itwasnotamererevoltofatriballeader.Itrepresentedtheaspirationofahistoricalpeopletoliveasanindependententity.ItisnecessarytoexamineeachphaseoftheimportantresistancewarsfoughtbytheBalochpeoplesincetheirunfortunaterelationshipstartedwithPakistan,a‘promisedland’oftheIndianMuslims,createdbytheBritish.Theprocesswitnessedtheemergenceofanother
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