3 weeks ago
What is Pakistan without Balochistan? Nation losing its soul
Balochistan is a very big part of Pakistan — almost half of the whole country.
Under the ground it holds lots of valuable things like gas, gold, copper and coal.
It also has a coastline and a famous port city called Gwadar.
Even though the land is full of treasures, most of the people who live there are poor.
Many feel the valuable resources are taken away and they do not get to share the benefits.
This makes people angry, and there has been a lot of fighting and unrest in the province.
Some people have disappeared or been hurt, and families are asking for answers and justice.
Mothers, sisters and daughters have become some of the bravest voices asking for the truth.
The leaders in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, are worried about what this means for the country.
If people stop trusting the government, the whole nation could lose its soul.
Balochistan covers 43.6 per cent of Pakistan's landmass and is rich in natural gas, copper, gold, coal and other minerals.
Despite its vast resources, Balochistan is Pakistan's least populated and among its most economically disadvantaged regions.
The province faces unrest including insurgency, attacks, enforced disappearances and allegations of extrajudicial killings.
Human-rights groups document disappearances and killings, while families — led increasingly by women — demand answers.
Balochistan's strategic location borders Iran, Afghanistan and the Arabian Sea, with Gwadar giving Pakistan enormous strategic value.
- Who
- The people of Balochistan — including women leading demands for justice — and the Pakistani government in Islamabad.
- What
- A deepening crisis of unrest in Balochistan driven by disputes over control of the province's natural resources, insurgency and alleged human rights abuses.
- Where
- Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province, bordering Iran, Afghanistan and the Arabian Sea.
- When
- Not specified in the article.
- Why
- Persistent grievances over who controls and benefits from Balochistan's extraordinary resources have deepened a crisis of trust.
Baloch Rights and Human Rights Advocates
Pakistani State and Security Establishment
Resource control and benefits
Baloch Rights and Human Rights Advocates
Balochistan's extraordinary resources come with persistent grievances over who controls them, who benefits from them and how little returns to the people living above them.
Pakistani State and Security Establishment
The province's resources, coastline and Gwadar give Pakistan enormous strategic value at a critical crossroads between South Asia, the Middle East and Central Asia.
Security operations vs. human rights
Baloch Rights and Human Rights Advocates
Human-rights groups document enforced disappearances and killings, and families demanding answers remain at the centre of the struggle.
Pakistani State and Security Establishment
The crisis is treated primarily as a security matter involving insurgency and attacks that must be countered.
Legitimacy and separatism
Baloch Rights and Human Rights Advocates
Women have become the faces of resistance and separation, and when they lead demands for missing men the crisis becomes one of state legitimacy.
Pakistani State and Security Establishment
Islamabad's concern is framed around national security, as losing Balochistan threatens Pakistan's integrity.
Key facts
- Share of Pakistan's landmass
- 43.6 per cent
- Natural resources
- Natural gas, copper, gold, coal and other minerals
- Strategic assets
- Coastline and the port of Gwadar
- Demographics
- Pakistan's least populated province
- Economic status
- Among Pakistan's most economically disadvantaged regions
- Bordering regions
- Iran, Afghanistan and the Arabian Sea
- Key issues
- Insurgency, attacks, enforced disappearances, alleged extrajudicial killings
Sources
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