Balochistan is the largest and most resource-rich region of Pakistan. However, it is also the most alienated, impoverished, and exploited zone. While the world focuses on Pakistan’s external posturing as a “victim of terror,”- a silent yet violent struggle continues in its southwest: the Baloch nation’s fight for dignity, sovereignty, and survival.
This struggle has deep roots in a history that dates resistance to Pakistani oppression with treaties signed centuries ago with the British. A legacy of broken promises – from Muhammad Ali Jinnah to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto – marks decades of rebellions fueled by exploitation and military suppression.
In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor – the parched Sindh and troubled Pashtuns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rose against the military rule – creating the perfect ambiance for the balkanization of Pakistan. So, the question must now be asked: Is Balochistan finally at the cusp of realizing its long-sought independence?
The Forgotten Treaty: Kalat’s Sovereignty and the British Betrayal
In 1666, under Mir Ahmed Khan I, the Khanate of Kalat, the first unified presentation of a political entity of Balochistan. The nomadic Baloch and Brahui tribes united and declared independence from Mughal rule. Thereafter, in 1876, the Khanate signed a treaty with the British that made it a protectorate, not a part of British India. This allowed Kalat internal autonomy, its legislature, and clear boundaries that defined it as a sovereign state – albeit under British rule. The British administered its foreign affairs and defense, but it remained outside the jurisdiction of colonial India.
By 1946, as the British prepared to exit the subcontinent, the Khan of Kalat appointed none other than Muhammad Ali Jinnah to represent him before the British Crown. Jinnah presented Kalat’s claim – stating that the Khanate had a treaty relationship with the British, not with India or Pakistan. Thus, in 1947 when the British divided Bharat, unlike other princely states such as Las Bela and Kharan, the Khanate of Kalat had a unique position. On 15th August 1947, a day after Pakistan came into being, the Khanate of Kalat declared its independence. The nation formed a bicameral legislature comprising the Darul Umara (Upper House of Sardars) and Darul Awam (Lower House of elected representatives). This was not nominal independence. It was a functioning state ready to assert its sovereign rights.
However, this dream collapsed within 227 days of independence.
● Jinnah, who once argued for Kalat’s autonomy, made an about-turn. Despite earlier assurances, Jinnah began pressuring the Khan to accede to Pakistan.
● The British refused the sale of arms to the Khanate of Kalat without Pakistan’s public permission, thereby leaving Kalat defenseless against a hostile neighbor.
● The Khan presented Pakistan’s demand of cessation in the Kalat parliament – the Upper and Lower Houses of Kalat refused to cede independence. Thus, asking the Khan of Kalat to refuse Pakistan’s command from across the border.
● When the Khan refused, Pakistan moved militarily aggressively to forcibly capture this swatch of land.
● At Pakistan’s aggressive military posture, Khan of Kalat wrote to India for help. Unfortunately, India -without sharing borders with Kalat – was unable to help at the time.
● On March 26th March Pakistan captured Kalat’s coastal borders – bringing the Khanate to its knees.
● On 27th March 1948, Pakistani forces entered Kalat. The Khan, fearing bloodshed, signed the Instrument of Accession under duress.
On 3rd October 1952, Kalat joined with the neighboring states of Kharan, Las Bela, and Makran to form the Baluchistan States Union. They chose Mir Ahmed Yar Khan of Kalat as their leader and gave him the title Khan-e-Azam. However, this attempt to gain autonomy failed on 14th October 1955, when the states were forcibly merged with West Pakistan.
This forced merger was named One Unit Plan, which triggered a fresh spate of rebellion under Nawab Nauroz Khan and other leaders.
Thereafter, in 1958, Mir Ahmad Yar Khan once more defiantly declared his status as Khan in an attempt to regain autonomy. In retaliation, Pakistan began a military clean-up and arrested Yar Khan along with key Baloch leaders. This led to another uprising, notably the first where the Pakistan Air Force was deployed against its citizens. Again, the Baloch rebellion was militarily defeated, but politically it ignited growing discontent. In 1959, Pakistan promised leniency to Nauroz Khan in return for surrender. However, they executed Nauroz and his sons upon arrest – creating a vacuum of leadership in Balochistan’s quest for independence.
The Baloch people never accepted the One Unit Plan – despite military oppression and political attempts to whitewash their existence as a separate identity.
In 1963, they rebuilt their resistance to Pakistani occupation of Balochistan with the Third Balochistan Conflict. Most of the 1960s decade witnessed attempts at insurgency in the region – to finally call a halt in 1969 with Balochistan being named a separate province in Pakistan.
However, the most significant of all rebellions came between 1973 and 1977, in the aftermath of the creation of Bangladesh. The beaten Pakistani administration and army feared Balochistan’s increasing demand for independence. Thus, in 1973, under a flimsy pretext of arms discovered in the Iraqi Embassy Pakistan declared martial law. PM Zulfikar Ali Bhutto dismissed the elected Baloch provincial government – triggering a rebellion. The region witnessed a war-like situation when over 55,000 Baloch guerrillas, backed by thousands of sympathizers, took to the mountains. The Baloch now openly demanded cessation from their occupying Pakistani regime. The Pakistani military, with assistance from the Shah of Iran, conducted brutal counterinsurgency operations. Over 5,000 Baloch fighters and civilians died – bringing a bloody end to the rebellion in 1977.
A Region Redefined: Baloch Identity Beyond Kalat
Initially, the resistance revolved around the Kalat state. Over time, however, Baloch nationalism has grown to include all Baloch-majority regions: Makran, Gwadar, Dera Bugti, and more. The modern Baloch flag, institutions, and narrative all reflect a larger, unified identity rather than a dynastic one. Historically, the various rebel groups of Balochistan – The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Baloch Republican Army (BRA), and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) – functioned with distinct ideological and territorial aims. However, lately, all the rebel groups have raised a singular united demand for independence. They ask for recognition to call independent Balochistan under one national flag and their resistance has adapted to modern guerrilla warfare – where resources are short and will is strong. Each crackdown by the Pakistani state has only deepened support in the hinterlands.
Unlike earlier generations, today’s Baloch youth are not just reacting to betrayal – they are ideologically committed to sovereignty.
Consequently, Pakistan’s administration attempts to undermine this ideology by calling it India-sponsored terrorism. Recently, Pakistan tried to disconnect the Balochi rebels from their identity as a distinct regional force committed to claiming sovereignty by clubbing them under the identity of “Ftina-al-Hind” – labeling the Baloch rebellion an illegitimate militant force under orders of Hindustan or India. However, such a renaming does not deny the fact that Mir Yar Baloch has declared independence from the soil of Balochistan – asking the world to recognize the nation as separate from Pakistan and its occupying forces.
Present Crisis: From CPEC to Operation Sindoor
Any conversation on Balochistan’s struggle for cessation from Pakistan is incomplete without understanding the role China played in the region. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), worth over $60 billion, is an international symbol of the economic colonial exploitation of Balochistan. While Gwadar was being developed into a port for Chinese strategic access, the locals remained jobless, displaced, and under military surveillance.
The Pakistani military, well aware of Baloch’s troubles and insurgency, keeps the people poor and struggling for survival by kidnapping its youth – specifically males and activists.
In 2018, under continued suppression and oppression, BLA attacked the Chinese consulate in Karachi. At the time, Chinese leaders chose to pacify the group with backchannel talks. However, the promises made were never fulfilled by the Chinese. Hence, the Baloch view China as their economic oppressor who empowers their Pakistani military occupiers. In 2020, after BLA stormed the Pakistan Stock Exchange, China tried to help Pakistan label Baloch cessationists as international terrorists at the UN. Thus, China plays the dual role of economic oppressor to political subjugators for Balochistan.
In 2024, Pakistani politics took a turn for the worse – with rumors of rigged elections – Pakistan is currently ruled by its military using a puppet PM and proxy government.
Hence, the BLA renewed its attacks in 2024 on Chinese installations to showcase its rejection of the tyrant military rule enforced upon its people. The rebellion took on the face of targeted attacks on Chinese engineers, CPEC convoys, and state pipelines intensified. Corrupt Pakistani officials – unable to deliver a completed CPEC – sank millions in Chinese investment. As a result, China began facing losses in the very project it hoped to earn billions from. In addition to aggression from the BLA, China faced offensive military action from Afghanistan and its locally supported arm of TTP in Pakistan. Thereby, losing both its millions and Chinese nationals in the northern region of Pakistan. Despite all of this, China stands steadfast as an “Iron Brother” to Pakistan – continuing to supply arms and loans – financing terrorism – choosing to believe that this economic vassal state shall protect its investments and people.
Meanwhile, India’s response to the Pakistan-sponsored Pahalgam attack took the form of Operation Sindoor on 7th May 2025. Though the operation officially targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the tremors were felt across Balochistan. The Pakistani military and its empty boasts stood exposed in the 84-hour brutal show of might by the Indian Armed Forces. With the weakness of Pakistan out in the open, social media exploded with hashtags supporting Baloch’s independence. The Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) too expressed solidarity, accusing the military of treating Pashtun and Baloch regions as occupied territories.
A Tipping Point in 2025?
Today’s Baloch resistance is not an isolated rebellion. It is part of a regional domino. The world cannot ignore the 20,000 or more missing youth and the arrest of prominent Baloch activists like Mahrang Baloch, and Beebow Baloch. The Baloch youth, with the internet and global media, are aware of their own oppression and the world’s apathy. For decades, India remained distant from the Baloch cause due to a lack of shared borders and diplomatic caution. But today, international forums are increasingly being leveraged. And Indian nationalists are making space for the Baloch cry for sovereignty to be heard across continents!
The exiled Baloch government is very vocal – inviting Indian and Western think tanks to raise awareness and expose Pakistan’s internal fault lines.
The 77-year Baloch struggle might be approaching its culmination.
If this moment is seized – through coordinated international advocacy, strategic support, and unity among Baloch factions – then 2025 may mark more than the anniversary of Pakistan’s forced annexation. It may mark the end of Pakistan’s occupation of Balochistan. With evidence available via media, the world must finally acknowledge the atrocities Balochistan continues to suffer under Pakistan and its army. Moreover, they must understand that Balochistan’s rebellion is not Pakistan’s internal matter. It is a case of betrayal, annexation, and military subjugation of an entire nation by the Pakistani Military.
The Baloch cries for freedom echo through history – from the halls of Kalat to the mountains of Dera Bugti. With a unified Baloch identity, a hostile environment for Pakistan’s military, rejection of the economic exploitation of China, and a growing international awareness – the quest for Balochistan’s freedom is no longer a distant dream. It is knocking on the doors of geopolitical reality – but the question is – will the world answer this knock of fate?
This article is written by Shruti Dasgupta
