the experiment: The Curious Case of Balochistan !!

Ever since the Indian Prime Minister has mentioned the name of 'Balochistan' in his speech at the Red Fort. The issue of 'Balochistan' has come to the forefront, we have been reading about it in various forums. So what exactly is Balochistan issue? This post shall give an insight into the issue of Balochistan.

Location:

Balochistan is one of the provinces of Pakistan (Shown in image below). The other three provinces are : Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunwa and Sindh.

It is the largest province in Pakistan, but also the least developed province.
Total population: over 13 million, indigenously called 'Balochis'.

History:

Before the birth of Pakistan in 1947, a princely state was called as Khanate of Kalat(which was a part of today's Balochistan).

The rulers of Khanate of Kalat refused to join Pakistan and Pakistan sent troops in March 1948 to annex the territory. Though Yar Khan, the then ruler of Kalat, later signed a treaty of accession, his brothers and followers continued to fight, triggering the first conflict between Balochis and the Pakistani Army.

There have been violent campaigns by the Baloch nationalists for independence from Pakistan.

Today, there are several separatist groups that are active in the region, the most prominent of the is Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), designated as a terrorist group by Pakistan.

Culture and Climate:

Balochistan is noted for its unique culture and dry desert climate.

Tourist Attractions:

Problems of Balochistan:

The Balochi nationalists accuse Islamabad of deliberately keeping the mineral-rich province poor, while Pakistan’s rulers say the pace of development is slow due to insurgency.
But a bigger allegation that the Pakistan is facing, and something which PM Modi tried to highlight in his Independence Day speech, is the large-scale human rights violations in the region, both by the Army and the militants.
Every time there’s unrest in the region, the Pakistani Army used brute force to retain order.
Even the Air Force was used against the civilian population many times.