Did you know that Balochistan celebrates Independence Day on 11 August?

Did you know that Balochistan celebrates Independence Day on 11 August? Read how Pakistan had occupied it within months of independence and continues atrocities.

Balochistan got independence from the British on 11th August 1947, but the independence was extremely short-lived. On 27th March 1948, Pakistan occupied Balochistan and continues to occupy it till today.

While India and Pakistan prepare to celebrate their respective independence days in the next few days, a region in Pakistan is actually celebrating their independence day today. Not many are aware that August 11 marks the Independence Day of Balochistan, the southwestern region of the country which has been fighting to regain its independence. According to a section of Baloch people, they got independence from the British on 11th August 1947, but the independence was extremely short-lived. On 27th March 1948, Pakistan occupied Balochistan and continues to occupy it till today.

According to reports, a Standstill Agreement was signed between Kalat and Pakistan on August 11, 1947, under British supervision, recognising Kalat as an independent state. Kalat was the name given to what is now known as Balochistan, a province of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan and Iran. Pakistan, however, acquired the province in 1948.

According to media accounts, Pakistan wanted Balochistan to be merged into its federation. Pakistan’s first Governor-General and Muslim League leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah presented this proposal to the Khan of Kalat and offered him to join their federation.

The Khan of Kalat established the House of Commons and the House of Lords in Balochistan within 24 hours after the country’s proclamation of independence in 1947. The conference of Balochistan’s two houses was convened by Khan of Kalat on December 16th, 1947, to examine the prospect of joining Pakistan. The lawmakers of both Houses opposed joining Pakistan. The Khan of Kalat and his family were then imprisoned within the palace while Pakistan invaded Balochistan and seized power.

The Pakistani establishment however disputes this assertion, claiming that Balochistan consisted of four provinces of Makran, LasBela, Kharan and Kalat. It said that among the provinces, all were willing to join Pakistan except Kalat, but due to a past treaty, it was incorporated into the country.

The Baloch nation has, however, been opposing Pakistani rule in Balochistan since March 27, 1948, and is still struggling for the restoration of their lost freedom. From Prince Abdul Karim to Nawab Khair Buksh Marri several veteran Baloch leaders have termed the annexation of Balochistan with Pakistan “a forceful occupation”. On the other hand, Pakistan terms this annexation as a merger of Islamic brotherhood.

Since 1948, many cycles of violence had been erupting, each growing in scope and intensity. From 1948 till the present, there have been five distinct insurgencies in Balochistan. Following the initial insurgency in 1948, the Baloch launched a rebellion against the state three times in 1958, 1963–69, 1973–77 respectively.

At the end of the 1990s, the fifth phase of the Baloch insurgency against the Pakistan state began. Under the direction of the late Nawab Khair Buksh Marri, the current battle for a free Baloch state got underway. Beginning in the year 2000, the Baloch Liberation Army fought a conflict in Balochistan with Pakistani forces. After the assassination of senior Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in August 2006, the violence eventually swept throughout Balochistan. Following Bugti’s death, there was a surge in support for an independent state.

Baloch Student Organisation Azad (BSO-Azad), Baloch National Movement and Baloch Republican Party became the faces of the political front against the state atrocities, they were advocating for the freedom of Balochistan and campaigning against the human rights violations in Balochistan.

The demand for Balochistan to become an autonomous state is motivated by a number of historical, social, political, and economic factors. The first and the primary factor is its history of marginalisation following its forced integration into Pakistan. Despite being Pakistan’s largest province, Balochistan has virtually little influence over the military and political decisions made in Islamabad. The second reason concerns its economic and social underdevelopment.

For years the people of Baloch have continued to feel a deep sense of insecurity and disgruntlement against the Pakistani regime. Various human rights organisations have, over the years, brought forward a number of charges of human rights violations. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) believes that the atrocities on the people of Baloch have reached “epidemic proportions” with the Pakistani government doing little to curtail these violations, which range from torture, extrajudicial executions and the inexplicable disappearance of those who disagree with the Pakistan military.

According to reports, in 2009, the Pakistani government implemented the “Kill and Dump” policy. Numerous political and student activists have been extrajudicially killed since 2009. By the end of 2014, political and student participation in Balochistan had become impossible since anybody who tried to criticise the government’s atrocities was hunted down by the Pakistani soldiers.

Enforced disappearances on the rise and extra-judicial killings in Balochistan