Without the assent of its kin to join Pakistan in 1948, Balochistan was just integrated into Pakistan through an Instrument of Accession. Baloch leaders reprimanded Pakistan for their social, economic and cultural misuse. Deep Dive with Abhinav Khare also explores how India and Balochistan share some cultural and spiritual ties.
On July 3, 2019, the US proclaimed the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which is battling for the freedom of Balochistan and against the gross human rights violation the Balochis face, as a terrorist organisation, weeks after it was blamed for attacking a five-star hotel in the city of Gwadar. In 2006, Pakistan had already banned the outfit and has been encouraging the US to do likewise.
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On Deep Dive with Abhinav Khare, we move back in time when India perceived this move as compensation for guaranteeing Pakistan's help in Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of American troops. Incidentally, just a day after this development, minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan said in an answer in the Lok Sabha, “India has on several occasions highlighted the human rights violations in Pakistan, including at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. It has recommended to Pakistan, inter alia, to end forced conversions and marriages of minorities, including Hindu, Sikh and Christian women, and prosecute all cases; to stop targeting political dissidents and legitimate criticism in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”
Balochistan signifies 'the land of the Baloch'.
Situated in the rough mountains of southwest Pakistan, Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and the most under-developed area. The district which is a conflict-hot zone of Pakistan is ridden with intense poverty, lack of education, unemployment and almost zero infrastructure. Far away from the clamouring urban communities of Karachi and Lahore, is this region without clean drinking water and skyrocketing child and maternal mortality. This remote territory has been plagued with rebellion since 1947. The Baloch ethnic minority occupies 375,000 square mile areas, which includes the regions of Balochistan, Sistan and the Balochistan province in south-eastern Iran and the Balochistan region of southern Afghanistan.
Even though the district has enormous stores of natural gas, gold, copper, and iron, its GDP dropped from 4.9% to 3.7% (since 1970), making it the most unfortunate area in the whole of South Asia. The locale has been seeing a 67-year-old battle for autonomy. Without the assent of its kin to join Pakistan in 1948, Balochistan was just integrated into Pakistan through an Instrument of Accession. Baloch leaders reprimanded Pakistan for their social, economic and cultural misuse. In this way, the disavowal of independence and the presence of the Sandeman system has resulted in this continued clash.
India and Balochistan share some cultural and spiritual ties. There are several ancient Hindu temples in this territory. Additionally, few sections of the locals speak Brahui, a Dravidian language that still exists despite the distancebetween Baloch and Southern India.
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The Red Fort speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2016, mirrored the blueprint of government's dynamic shift in their PakistanPolicy. Pakistan has had a continuing interference in India's internal problems for quite some time. Pakistan has sponsored and perpetrated terrorism on Indian soil and provided a safe shelter to the terrorists.
Thus, this Baloch rebellion shall help India in punishing Pakistan for this and also gives India the option to respond to Pakistan’s rebellion without the nuclear threat.
About Abhinav Khare
Abhinav Khare is the CEO of AsiaNetNews Network and also the host of a daily show named Deep Dive with AK. AsiaNetNews is a leading media group of south India with highly valuable brands like AsiaNetNews, Suvarna News, Kannada Prabha, IndigoMusic, Indigo Radio, MyNation, NewsFast, IndigoXP Music lounges.
He is a proud father of two beautiful daughters and resides in Bengaluru with his loving family and a lifetime collection of books and gadgets. An avid traveller, he has already pinged more than hundred cities from 5 major continents around the globe.
A tech entrepreneur, who is passionate about policy, technology, economy and philosophy from ancient India. His favourite pastime is to research synergy between these facets of society. He earned his qualifications from the top 10 global universities; an MS Engineering from the ETH Zurich and an MBA Finance from the London Business School.
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