Baloch National Ideology and Resistance

09.03.2009 Archen Baloch

In terms of legitimacy, Pakistani occupied Balochistan has theoretically become an independent state in de facto, because in principle it has achieved the prerequisite attribution which qualifies Baloch to seek international recognition in de jure to become an independent member state of United Nations. And that attribution is the unequivocal will of the Baloch people constantly striving to get rid of Pakistani occupation. Yet technically it is a part of Pakistan. Pakistani state machinery is in no control in Balochistan. Balochi Rawaj - the unwritten Nasir Noori constitution is the set of political principles governing Baloch social organization in relation to social justice.

Baloch nation with a credential of 160 years independent wars with different colonial powers in different times has demonstrated that it has the strength to challenge any misconception that violates the Baloch sovereignty.

On the theoretical front, Baloch national struggle for freedom has achieved the broadest consensus among general public and formed the explicit ideology of Baloch nationalism. And the same ideology is the yardstick for future political consideration of Baloch national question.

 Baloch national ideology is based upon cultural values and strong belongingness to its soil rather than religious ideology. In order to blunt the freedom movement based on secular values, both, Pakistan and Iran have tried hard to replace Baloch national ideology with religious ideology, but failed. To alienate Baloch from their culture and language the colonial states have constantly pursued the policy of Baloch containment keeping Baloch in abject poverty. But all these futile attempts have failed and Baloch resistance has utterly dismayed them and proven to the world that they are on the wrong side of the history.

The current Baloch political parties, the offspring of Qalat National Party of 1930s, signify the fact that Baloch have had enough exercises in the institution of democratic theatre. The very existence of different political parties itself bear out the fact that Baloch know how to defer, which is the essence of democracy. Totalitarianism has no place in Baloch social organization, the crooked narratives of Pakistani media are notwithstanding.

Baloch believe in democracy, even under years of forced annexation, Baloch have participated in Pakistani and Iranian so called short lived constitutional institutions, and this itself is a fact that Baloch are more democratic than the ultra-nationalist Punjabi and Persian regimes. But both have failed to recognize the Baloch goodwill gesture to their unnatural states. That is why Baloch have now lost faith in Iranian and Pakistani federacy altogether.On practical side of the struggle, Baloch youths have now gathered their national strength for resistance to occupying forces and been fighting them for the past 9 years.

Despite the fact that enemy has the upper hand of sophisticated weapons of air fighters, helicopters, tanks and open access to international weapon markets, but they even failed to slow down the movement’s drive. Its forces are overstretched in Balochistan and are on all time high alerts; their will to fight is wearing down and suffering from psychical and mental stress.

In many areas of resistance centers, defection and suicide have risen to an alarming number among soldiers and officers particularly in Dera Bugti, Kohlu Kahan, Mand, Gwadar, Jehlawan,  Noshki and Khuzdar. And in many instances forces defections have been facilitated by Baloch national armed organizations under Balochi code of amnesty.

In Dera Bugti without the presence of tanks and helicopters, keeping on the illegal flow of Baloch natural gas to Punjab and other cities of Pakistan is an utterly impossible undertaking.
The presence of tanks and helicopters guarding the pipelines in Dera Bugti is a grim reminder that foreign investment is nowhere coming in Balochistan unless Balochistan is liberated. The mega IPI and Gwadar Port projects have been turned into a mega failure by Baloch resistance forces.