Last Updated:
Balochistan is a war zone now—Pakistan’s playground of horrors, from mass graves to silenced screams
A man stands near charred truck containers torched by armed separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) at central Bolan district in Balochistan. (IMAGE: AFP FILE)
“The Jaffar Express, carrying around 400 passengers in nine coaches, was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar when militants derailed it using explosives and hijacked it. Pakistani security forces eventually rescued 190 passengers, killing 30 militants as they continued battling insurgents for a second day,” reports Firstpost.
That the hijacking of the train is now seen as the biggest attack carried out by Baloch revolutionaries in Pakistan, and is viewed as a serious concern for Beijing, is now out in the open as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has carried out several attacks on Chinese workers in the region. Their objective: to reclaim the independent state of Balochistan.
Picture this: a rugged land where the sun sears the earth, where whispers of a lost kingdom still dance on the breeze. That’s Balochistan, home to the Khanate of Kalat—a fleeting star of independence snuffed out by Pakistan’s heavy boot and Jawaharlal Nehru’s shrug. This isn’t some dusty history lesson; it’s a gut-punch story of a people betrayed, brutalised, and still swinging against the odds. India could’ve been their champion, but Nehru left the Baloch to bleed.
KALAT’S MOMENT IN THE SUN
Back in 1666, Mir Ahmed Khan I stitched together a patchwork of Baloch and Brahui tribes into the Khanate of Kalat—a rough-and-tumble outfit that thumbed its nose at Mughals, Afghans, and eventually the Brits. By 1875, a treaty with the British gave Kalat a leash long enough to call itself free, though London kept a wary eye.
Fast-forward to 1947: the British are packing up, and on August 15, the Khan, Ahmad Yar Khan, plants his flag. Independence! For 227 days, Kalat is the real deal—its parliaments, Darul Awam and Darul Umara, hashing out a future. It’s scrappy, it’s proud, and it’s desperately looking for a friend like India to have its back.
NEHRU’S DODGE
Here’s where it gets messy. The Khan, cornered by Pakistan’s growling ambition, turns to India. He begged for accession. Nehru’s response? A big fat nothing. Three days later, he’s on record denying it ever happened. Why the dodge? Kashmir’s eating up his attention, sure, but this reeks of cowardice. Kalat could’ve been India’s ace—split Pakistan’s flank, grab a western edge. Instead, Nehru hands Balochistan to Pakistan on a silver platter, and the blood starts flowing.
PAKISTAN’S GRISLY RAMPAGE
March 27, 1948: Kalat is roped into Pakistan, not by handshake but at gunpoint. Troops swarm the coast, the Khan is cornered, and the dream is dead. The Baloch don’t stay silent. Pakistan’s answer? Crush them. The 1970s turn uglier, with more violence, detention and killings. Fast-forward to 2004, and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) picks up the torch, only to face a slaughterhouse. Since then, over 20,000 have gone missing.
WORLD MUST ANSWER BALOCHI CRY
Balochistan is a war zone now—Pakistan’s playground of horrors, from mass graves to silenced screams. Pakistan’s tally of atrocities—murdered sons, razed homes, stolen futures—grows longer by the day. Meanwhile, the Baloch fight on, looking for empathy and support. If such mayhem continues in Balochistan, it might become difficult for the world, especially India, to look the other way.
Yuvraj Pokharna is an independent journalist and columnist. He tweets with @iyuvrajpokharna. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
