‘Balochistan Is Not Pakistan’: Resistance, Repression, and the Fight for Identity

Balochistan — the largest yet least populated province of Pakistan — continues to cry for recognition, autonomy, and justice. While Islamabad calls it an integral part of the country, many Baloch activists and voices on the ground say otherwise. "Balochistan is not Pakistan" is not merely a slogan; it's a centuries-old assertion of identity, forcibly suppressed and routinely ignored. This article dives deep into the complex historical, political, and humanitarian layers of this conflict — one that the world has only recently started to pay attention to.
Before 1947, Balochistan was not a single, cohesive administrative unit. Instead, it comprised:

The Khanate of Kalat – A princely state that had treaties with the British but maintained internal sovereignty.British-administered Balochistan – Directly governed by colonial authorities.Feudatory states like Las Bela and Kharan – Technically under the Khan of Kalat but later influenced by British arrangements.When British India was partitioned in 1947, the Khanate of Kalat declared its independence on August 15, 1947 — just like India and Pakistan. Initially, Kalat sought a special relationship with Pakistan, not merger. It was even recognized briefly by Pakistan as a separate entity, negotiating as a sovereign.

However, by March 1948, under heavy pressure from Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Khan was forced to sign an instrument of accession, effectively merging Kalat into Pakistan. The Baloch nationalist narrative calls this an annexation — not a union.


The Baloch people's assertion of their distinct identity has deep roots. Since 1948, Balochistan has seen five major insurgencies — in 1948, 1958, 1963-69, 1973-77, and the ongoing one since 2004. Each uprising has been met with severe military crackdowns.

Forced Merger in 1948: The Baloch never had a referendum or democratic process to determine their future.Resource Exploitation:Balochistan holds Pakistan’s richest reserves of gas, gold, coal, and minerals.Yet, it remains the poorest and most underdeveloped province.Sui gas, discovered in 1952, powers homes across Pakistan — but many in Sui town itself lack cooking gas.Balochistan holds Pakistan’s richest reserves of gas, gold, coal, and minerals.Yet, it remains the poorest and most underdeveloped province.Sui gas, discovered in 1952, powers homes across Pakistan — but many in Sui town itself lack cooking gas.Demographic Marginalization:There is widespread fear of demographic change due to inward migration encouraged by Islamabad.Locals argue this is aimed at diluting the ethnic Baloch majority.There is widespread fear of demographic change due to inward migration encouraged by Islamabad.Locals argue this is aimed at diluting the ethnic Baloch majority.Disappearances and Killings:Human rights groups have consistently raised alarms over enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of activists, students, and dissenters.Bodies dumped in mass graves have been found in the region.Human rights groups have consistently raised alarms over enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of activists, students, and dissenters.Bodies dumped in mass graves have been found in the region.CPEC and Chinese Involvement:The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes through Balochistan.Baloch nationalists claim this mega-project benefits Chinese and Pakistani elites — not the local people.Gwadar port, seen as the crown jewel of CPEC, has faced protests over the exclusion of locals and loss of livelihood.The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes through Balochistan.Baloch nationalists claim this mega-project benefits Chinese and Pakistani elites — not the local people.Gwadar port, seen as the crown jewel of CPEC, has faced protests over the exclusion of locals and loss of livelihood. The Baloch resistance is not just armed; it's intellectual, cultural, and civilian. Poets, students, and journalists have tried to raise their voices peacefully — only to face brutal suppression.Student movements and rallies in major cities like Quetta and even in Lahore and Islamabad have been met with detentions.The Baloch Yakjehti Committee, a group representing Baloch unity, has led peaceful protests across Pakistan, including a landmark march from Turbat to Islamabad in 2023.Women have led protests for missing persons, including the mothers and sisters of disappeared Baloch men.Despite this, mainstream Pakistani media offers minimal coverage. International platforms are slowly catching up, but geopolitical considerations often muffle stronger condemnations.

Why is the world silent? One word: geopolitics.

The U.S., China, and Gulf states all have strategic stakes in Pakistan and CPEC.India has raised the Baloch issue in global forums — especially after Prime Minister Modi’s 2016 Independence Day speech — but with limited follow-through.The United Nations and human rights watchdogs have published some damning reports, but no major action has followed.Baloch activists have demanded:

International inquiries into human rights violations.Referendum on Balochistan’s future, supervised by the UN.Sanctions on officials involved in enforced disappearances.“We are not asking for war. We are asking for dignity, for justice, for our missing sons,” said a Baloch mother during a 2023 sit-in in Islamabad.“CPEC has brought soldiers, not jobs,” remarked a protestor in Gwadar, during demonstrations against fishing rights being handed to Chinese trawlers.These aren’t fringe voices. These are cries that echo across hills, coasts, and cities in Balochistan — and beyond.

Despite the repression, the slogan “Balochistan is not Pakistan” is gaining traction.

Social media platforms, though often censored, have become crucial for spreading awareness.The Baloch diaspora in Europe and North America is growing more vocal.The conflict is not abating; it is evolving.Pakistan’s state narrative remains unchanged: Balochistan is an inseparable part of the country. But identity cannot be dictated by tanks and treaties. History remembers — and people resist.

“Balochistan is not Pakistan” — this is no longer just a slogan. It is the declaration of a people who have seen their culture sidelined, their leaders exiled or executed, and their children grow up amid checkpoints and gunfire. It is a cry from the earth where gas is mined, but kitchens remain cold. Where military cantonments bloom, but schools decay. As global attention finally begins to turn toward this long-neglected corner of South Asia — with international human rights organizations, diaspora protests, and digital resistance making the invisible visible — the truth becomes harder to bury.

And so we must ask:

How long can a state suppress the soul of a people before it loses its own?



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