Born of political deceit, not religious unity, Pakistan continues to colonize the Baloch people. It's time India and the UN acknowledge this historical wrong.
Pakistan is often portrayed as a country created to protect
the interests of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent. However, a closer look at
history reveals a different story. Pakistan was not the result of a natural
division between Hindus and Muslims but a political project engineered by
Punjabi Muslims who desired a separate nation where they could dominate. The
idea that Pakistan was meant for all Muslims was a well-crafted propaganda
campaign.
The Two-Nation Theory, which claimed that Hindus and Muslims
could not coexist, was fed to the British colonial rulers by elite Punjabi
Muslims and conveniently accepted. At
the time, many Muslims in India were recent converts with deep cultural roots
in the land they shared with Hindus. Yet, they were convinced to support the
partition under the illusion of religious solidarity. In reality, Pakistan
became a state dominated by Punjabi Muslims, who viewed the rest of the
population as secondary.
British Geopolitical Interests
The British had their reasons to support this partition. By
1820, India accounted for 16% of global GDP. By 1947, it had declined to 4% due
to colonial exploitation. But there was a growing fear among the British that a
united India post-independence could bounce back rapidly, discrediting the
British Empire and exposing the damage they had done. Partition was a way to
weaken India's potential resurgence.
Breaking India apart, especially by cutting off its
traditional land routes to the world through the North-West, would ensure
prolonged instability and poverty. The creation of Pakistan, strategically
located to sever India from Central Asia and the Middle East, helped the West
maintain a grip on the region while keeping India boxed in.
A Punjabi Muslim Project
Pakistan's creation served the interests of a specific
group: the Punjabi Muslim elite. Of the 400 million Muslims in India, only
about 6.5 million (1.5%) migrated to Pakistan in 1947. This relatively small
group came the newly created Pakistan. Other ethnic groups like the Sindhis,
Baloch, Bengalis, and Pashtuns were treated as second-class citizens. Their
languages, cultures, and political aspirations were sidelined in Favor of a
centralized state rooted in Punjabi dominance.
The Baloch Tragedy
Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province by area (43% of the
country's land), is the most glaring example of this suppression. Despite its
size and resource richness—with vast reserves of natural gas, coal, gold, and
copper—Balochistan remains the least developed and most militarized region of
Pakistan.
Historically, Balochistan was an independent entity. The
Khan of Kalat declared its independence on August 15, 1947. But on March 27,
1948, Pakistani forces annexed it. Ironically, it was Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who
once argued in favor of Kalat's sovereignty, who ordered its forced integration
into Pakistan.
Since then, the Baloch people have never fully accepted
their subjugation. They have launched five major insurgencies—in 1948, 1958,
1962, 1973, and 2004. The current uprising, ongoing since 2004, has witnessed
massive human rights violations. Thousands of Baloch activists have been
abducted, tortured, or killed.
Despite being home to just 5% of Pakistan’s population,
Balochistan is essential to the country’s economy and strategic goals. Its
coastline and location offer critical access to energy-rich Central Asia. Yet,
Balochistan's indigenous people remain deprived of basic rights, as their lands
are exploited and their voices silenced.
An Unnatural Union
The social fabric of Balochistan communities have long histories and a strong sense of identity. Their resistance is not merely political but rooted in cultural survival. Pakistan's foundation was not laid on the principles of inclusive nationhood. It was shaped by colonial convenience and ethnic domination. With each passing decade, the cracks in this unnatural union are widening.
Historically, Pakistan was not created as a homeland for all Muslims. It
was crafted to satisfy the ambitions of a few. The British, driven by their
geopolitical interests, played along. Today, regions like Balochistan bear the
brunt of this historical injustice.
The Baloch struggle is not merely a separatist movement. It
is a cry for dignity, representation, and justice. And it is a reminder that a
nation built on exclusion, propaganda, and military suppression cannot forever
silence its own people. The time has come for the world to revisit the real
story of Pakistan’s birth and the untold agony of its neglected provinces.
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