Will Balochistan win freedom-- Part I
France-sized Balochistan which the British as part of its imperial machinations left divided in three parts, doled out to three different countries. Two of them were historic entities, Persia and Afghanistan, and one pure assembled in London, Pakistan. So Balochistan today stands divided in three states: a territory the size of New Mexico is in Pakistan, the second size of Nevada is in Iran and third size of West Virginia is in Afghanistan.
Balochistan is expansive indeed. Had only Pakistan balochistan in its present form be freed it would be the world's 32nd place, pushing Venezuela to 33rd. The Makran division alone would have ranked 119 in stead of Togo which would have been pushed to 120th place area-wise.
Baloch nationalists say there are more than 30 million Baloch people all over the world, while Pakistan and Iran say the numbers are less than half of that. A significant population of the Baloch are residents of the Gulf states and to the surprise of this writer, Saudi diplomat based in US says there are naturalized Baloch in the Muslim kingdom too. But two countries stands out, the sultanate of Oman and the emirate of UAE, and its alcohol-loving state of Ajman especially. Not many people know but there are two million Baloch in Karachi; Baloch were a majority in Karachi at the time of the 1947 Partition Holocaust and the city has the disntinction of being the city with the largest Baloch population anywhere in the world.
Of all the countries, British engendered Pakistan has been the worst place for the Baloch, by far. Blood-checkered southwestern Balochistan Pakistan is facing a tsunami of human rights violations for more than a decades now as Islamabad tries to crush the Baloch aspirations for freedom.
Baloch nationalists, citing historicial evidence, say that Balochistan was taken over by Pakistan by deception and force on March 27, 1948. Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah was in fact a lawyer of the Baloch ruler Khan of Kalat Mir Ahmedyar Khan with whom he had signed a Standstill Agreement to respect Balochistan sovereignty but turned rogue on his client under London’s instruction. But in reality another earth shattering event, in the real sense of the word, may have pre-destined the unfortunate colonization of Balochistan by Pakistan: the death of the first founder of Baloch nationalism, widely believed to be gay. On May 31 1935 Nawab Yusuf Aziz Magsi was among two-thirds of Quetta’s residents—base of the Royal Air Force and an important gateway to India== perished in a dealy earthquake. The founder of a Baloch state was lost by an act of God so to speak.”[i]
Magsi at age 21 authored the first liberation manifesto for Balochistan called "Balochistan Kee Faryaad" or "Cry of Balochistan", which was published in a Lahore weekly newspaper, Hamdard, on November 17, 1929. The article was considered seditious by the British rulers, who organized a special Jirga held in Kalat July 17, 1930 to sentence Nawab Magsi, then 23, to one year of solitary confinement and a 11,000-rupee fine. Upon completing his prison term, Nawab Magsi came to Quetta where, along with Mir Abdul Aziz Kurd, officially launched the Anjuman-i-Ithihaad i Balochistan wa Balochistan. The following year, Nawab Magsi organized “All India Baloch Conference” in Jacobabad. After a year, in 1933 he organized the second such conference in Hyderabad Sindh attended by Baloch from India, Central Asia, and Turkmenistan.
A twelve year void that followed the death of gay and charismatic Nawab Magsi was filled by the arrival on the scene of an equally charismatic leader and orator, Aligarh footballer Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bizenjo. Imagine the town of Dhadhar on December 12, 1947. Both the date and have immense importance in the unfinished struggle of blood and tears of the Baloch people to be recognized as a sovereign nation. Here, Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bizenjo, leader of the Kalat State National Party, who later became governor of Balochistan, presented a case for the independence of Balochistan in the lower house of Balochistan parliament, called Darul Awam. After his speech, the Darul Awam unanimously rejected the idea of any merger with what was then less than four-month-old Pakistan.
Here is Bizenjo's speech:
We have a distinct civilization, we have a separate culture like that of Iran and Afghanistan.We are Muslims but it is not necessary that by virtue of our being Muslims we should loose our freedom and merge with others. If the mere fact that we are Muslims requires us to join Pakistan then Afghanistan and Iran both Muslim countries should also amalgamate with Pakistan . . .
The British conquered Asia through the force of the sword. They also subjugated the Baloch homeland. We never accepted their authority. We resisted their rule but being oppressive and cruel they deprived us of our freedom. We were a separate entity. We were never part of India before the British over-lordship. Pakistan's unpleasant and loathsome desire that our national homeland, Balochistan, should merge with it is impossible to concede.
It is unimaginable to agree to such a demand . . . It is no secret that before the creation of Pakistan, our Khan had patronized the Muslim League. Our homes, bungalows and transport were at their disposal. Under the Khan's guidance many Baloch helped the League through every possible means. (Jinnah was said to have been weighed in gold by Mir Ahmadyar Khan)
What was our attitude towards Pakistan and what is its behaviour towards us ? Lasbela and Kharan, two constituent units of Balochistan are being snatched away. Kalat's sovereignty over those areas has been accepted by the British. We never want to subjugate them. That is not our intention. They are our brethern in blood and have been part of Kalat in that capacity.
Pakistan has even refused talks and is making any discussion on the subject conditional on the repentance of the Baloch government and its prostration. Before them......we are ready to have friendship with that country on the basis of sovereign equality but by no means ready to merge with Pakistan. “We cannot humiliate the Baloch nation and amalgamate it with others. How can we sign the national death warrant of fifteen million Asian Baloch? That is inconceivable. That is impossible. We cannot be party to such a grave mistake . . . We cannot commit such a grave crime…
“We are told that we Baloch cannot defend ourselves in that atomic age.“Well, are Afghanistan, Iran and even Pakistan capable of defending themselves? Today if Russia and America so desire, they can wipe out many such states from the world map. If we cannot defend ourselves, a lot of others cannot do so either . . . As regards the question of statehood, let me emphasize that no Asian country including Pakistan fulfils the criteria of a modern state in true sense.
“They say we must join Pakistan for economic reasons. That is also absurd. We may not have hard currency, but we have numerous means of income. We have minerals, we have petroleum, we have ports. We should not be made slaves on the pretext of economic viability. We can survive without Pakistan. We can prosper outside Pakistan. But the question is what Pakistan would be without us?
“I do not propose to create hurdles for the newly created Pakistan in matters of defense and external communication. But we want an honorable relationship, not a humiliating one. If Pakistan wants to treat us as a sovereign people, we are ready to extend the hand of friendship and cooperation. If Pakistan does not agree to do so, flying in the face of democratic principles, such an attitude will be totally unacceptable to us, and if we are forced to accept this fate then every Baloch son will sacrifice his life in defense of his national freedom.”
At the time of Bizenjo’s speech, Balochistan also had a Darul Khas (House of Lords). Despite the rejection of the idea of merger with Pakistan-- the rejection subsequently also endorsed by the Darul Khas --, Pakistan annexed Balochistan March 27, 1948.
Indian cowardice and betrayal was a big issue. Maulana Abul Kalam, president of Indian National Congress, refused to side with Balochistan's freedom demand. Bizenjo, who was fondly called Baba-i-Balochistan, told this scribe 40 years later as to why he dropped his freedom demand and settled for provincial autonomy, replied that a delegation of Kalat State National Party met Indian National Congress president Maulana Azad prior to partition to seek India's support. Azad, however, told the delegation that raising the Balochistan issue will give the British an excuse to delay their departure from India. Azad said the freedom of India could not be held hostage just because of the question of Balochistan. (Late Bizenjo was a family friend of this writer and as per his will his last rites began at our family home Mustikhan Lodge in Karachi). to be continued
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