Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has oil and gas resources and is afflicted by fighting, violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and a separatist rebellion. The insurgents demand at least autonomy from Islamabad and a larger share of the oil-and-gas revenue generated locally.
For the Balochis, a turning point in their war against the state occurred in 2006, when a prominent Baloch tribal leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed by the Pakistani army. Bugti, 79 years old at the time of his death, had just submitted a list of demands to Islamabad, which, among other things, called for greater local control of natural resources, more autonomy from Islamabad, and a moratorium on construction of military bases in the area.
Bugti's death was followed a few years later by the killings of Baloch National Movement President Ghulam Mohammed Baloch and two other nationalist leaders -- allegedly by the Pakistani military. Their deaths sparked strikes, protests and civil disturbances that periodically continue to the present day.
The Pakistani government has branded Baloch militants organizations as "terrorists."
The Balochs suffer from high rates of poverty, low literacy and other woes -- all of which serve to fuel an insurgency. According to the World Bank, eight of Pakistan's 10 most deprived districts are located in Balochistan. Just 22 percent of Balochs are literate, versus 47 percent for Pakistan as a whole, and only 20 percent of Balochs have access to drinking water, versus 86 percent for the country.
'Govt may soon lose all control over Balochistan'
Many observers compare the current turmoil in Balochistan to the 1970s situation in the East Pakistan which seceded from the Western wing of Pakistan in December 1971 to become Bangladesh after the Pakistan Army launched a brutal operation to suppress the rebellion. The Pakistan Army, with the help of supporting militias, massacred Bengali students, intellectuals, politicians, civil servants and military defectors during the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. Several million refugees fled to neighboring India which supported the Bengalis in their struggle for independence. In December 1971, the Indian army joined the Bengali rebels to support the Calcutta-based provisional government of Bangladesh. Around 300,000 people were reportedly killed throughout the war for Bangladesh.
The prince of the defunct Kalat state and chief of the Baloch Rabita Ittefaq Tehreek, Prince Mohyuddin Baloch, warned last year that if the government fails to settle the Balochistan issue according to the aspirations of people, it will soon lose all control over the situation.
"We have so far managed to restrain [disgruntled] Baloch people but after Dec 31, 2015 the situation will get out of our control and our rulers will no more be in a position to do anything to reverse it. After the end of this year, we will be forced to allow Baloch people to take any path they like," said the prince at a press conference held at a local hotel in Karachi in February 2015.
The prince who was federal minister in military ruler Gen Ziaul Haq's regime said: "So far, our 5,000 children have been killed and some 10,000 people have been kidnapped, but no one should think that the resistance has been crushed. It is correct that Baloch are by nature slow, stubborn and quarrelsome, but when it comes to war no one can defeat them."
Army controls the narrative on BalochistanAccording to BBC, Pakistan has a vibrant and thriving news media. But there's been a virtual blackout of alleged abuses on privately-owned national news channels.
"Journalists say they are under intense pressure to promote a positive image of the army and its chief, General Raheel Sharif - they believe it's part of a public relations offensive to present the army as a saviour of the nation, while discrediting the political class. Foreign reporters are not allowed to travel to Balochistan without the army's approval. Over the years, scores of local reporters have been shot dead. Those who survive live under constant fear of upsetting one side or the other."
Earlier this month, a journalist colleague reporting on Balochistan was taken to a safe house in Quetta's military garrison where he was lectured on the virtues of being a patriotic citizen, the BBC said adding: Army officers questioned him extensively about his sources and his political views. The officials told him they knew about his family, where his kids went to school and how much money he had in his bank.And then he was informed: "Yes, we are killing the anti-state elements. And we will continue to go after them. At the end of the day, we decide who's a patriot and who's not."
(Article changed on August 13, 2016 at 14:56)
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