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21 sats \ 7 replies \ @Undisciplined 5 Sep \ on: Pakistan's Balochistan Problem (Part II)— What's Behind Balochi Insurgencies conspiracy
Very interesting. Do you think there's any prospect of independence for Balochistan? It wasn't that long ago that Pakistan and Bangladesh separated, after all. I imagine there's no chance of independence, unless they embrace the Chinese presence.
Other than ethnic differences and being poorer, is Balochistan similar to Pakistan culturally?
Yea, I mean the way Balochistan people have been protesting for years suggests they want nothing less than sovereignty for Balochistan. Interestingly, there are two way protests going on in Balochistan. Baloch women are regularly coming out on roads to demonstrate peaceful condemnation of the Rest of Pakistan and Their men are fighting with guns in their hands.
They haven't embraced the Chinese presence at all. Every day you might hear some chinese guy shot down by separatist. Also, Baloch people never supported on the project of CPC to Pakistan Government.
Balochistan is far more similar to Eastern Iran culturally than to rest of Pakistan. You might have listened about some tension between Iran and Pakistan before some time. The reason was also Balochistan.
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I had been aware of Balochistan spanning into Iran and Afghanistan, but I didn't know much about it beyond the ethnically driven independence movement.
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Calling it merely ethnically driven wouldn't be 100% correct. There are many other factors which you, I think, already know. The most important of them is how Rest of Pakistan has always ignored Balochistan. As I mentioned in the article,
The negligence of Balochistan in bureaucracy and government gave birth to economic oppression of the region. It's evident at a single glance that Balochistan has always been the poorest and least developed of all of Pakistan’s provinces. Since the mid-1970s its share of the country’s GDP has dropped from 4.9 to 3.7 percent. Balochistan has the highest infant and maternal mortality rate, the highest poverty rate, and the lowest literacy rate in Pakistan.
Balochistan is still at least 20 years behind the rest of Pakistan. Who's responsible for this? The ethnicity differences or just the government that is cheating on its own people!
Actually, most of the muslims from Punjab and Sindh will say that Balochistan is the slave of us. They literally say it. The government say it.
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I've learned most of that from your posts. All I had known was the ethnic division.
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I font believe that ethnicity differences can drive protests where masses start asking for a country of their own.
India has more differences of ethnicity. There is almost every religion. We speak at least over 500 languages. There's so much of variety in culture, I bet you can't find anywhere! But there's never been any such case in India because people are not suffering here.
While in Balochistan, people are suffering. They don't even have so much that they can fullfill basic needs.
So, IMHO, it's the summit of sufferings that gives rise to such separatist movements. However, it's too late for Pakistan now. This movement will definitely see one more country on the global maps!
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Ethnic differences certainly aren't sufficient to fracture a society, but it's easy for human brains to draw those lines and develop animosity. That's what grows into the kind of oppression you're describing, which is then what drives a demand for independence.
Do you expect the Iranian and Afghani parts of Balochistan to also be part of this new country?
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I agree to your point!
I don't view those parts to be coming with New Balochistan with the rise of Balochistan. Maybe later when they see Balochistan progressing.
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