New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) A country that has been the epicentre of global terrorism is now crying foul over a train hijacking incident. This is a classic case of karma coming back to haunt it after years of aiding, sponsoring, and backing terrorist activities in various parts of the world, particularly in its neighboring country, India, and even as far as the United States.
The hijacking of its train by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group seeking Balochistan’s secession from Pakistan, has exposed the deep-rooted issues that have existed since Pakistan’s inception. From the very beginning, its leaders have harboured sinister intentions of gobbling up its surroundings. The first casualty of this expansionist mindset was Balochistan, which was an independent country in 1947 when Pakistan was created and India gained independence from British rule.
After a brief period of independence of 227 days, Pakistan forcibly annexed the region. Many Baloch nationalists did not accept this decision and viewed the annexation as an infringement upon their cultural identity and autonomy. Soon, they rose in defiance, but the Pakistani Army crushed their resistance with brutal force. The region witnessed uprisings in 1958, 1962, and 1973-77, but each time, the Pakistani establishment managed to suppress the movement.
In 2005, the movement for Baloch identity gained momentum again under the leadership of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, who was then Pakistan’s Defence Minister and the Governor of Balochistan. He supported the armed struggle against the Pakistani state but was assassinated the following year. While his death momentarily subdued the movement, it did not end it.
The region has been simmering with unrest in recent years. Multiple violent incidents have been reported. More than 70 people were killed by the BLA in August 2024. At least 23 civilians were also shot dead after gunmen blocked highways. In a suicide bombing at Quetta railway station last year, 25 people were killed.
The latest attack — the train hijacking or the ambushing of a bus carrying security forces — is a manifestation of the crisis caused by Pakistan’s policies. The Balochis fell victim to Pakistan’s expansionist agenda in 1948, the same year it attempted to seize Jammu and Kashmir. While it succeeded in occupying Balochistan, its efforts to capture Jammu and Kashmir were thwarted by India’s intervention.
In October 1947, Pakistani invaders entered Jammu and Kashmir, which was then an independent region, and brutally massacred thousands, forcibly converting many Hindus and Christians. Even Muslims who resisted them were not spared. When the situation became dire, the then-King of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India, which swiftly intervened and prevented Pakistan’s annexation of the region.
Jammu and Kashmir became an integral part of India, but Pakistan has continued to foment trouble there. Over the last four decades, it has sponsored terrorism under the guise of a separatist movement, fuelling Islamic radicalisation and attempting to revive the two-nation theory.
While Pakistan has tried to portray the violence in Kashmir as a struggle for Kashmiri identity, it has simultaneously subjugated Balochistan, where people have been desperately fighting to protect their identity and resources. Unlike Kashmir, which has witnessed significant development in terms of land, air, and internet connectivity, Pakistan has turned Balochistan into one of its most disadvantaged and disconnected regions.
Although Balochistan is Pakistan’s richest province in terms of natural resources — gas and minerals — it remains the least developed. It lags in key indicators such as health, education, and human security. And has been facing discrimination and state repression over the decades — forced disappearances, killings, torture and human rights abuses.
To make matters worse for the people of Balochistan, China’s growing influence in the region has further fuelled the insurgency. Balochistan is a crucial part of the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The Gwadar Port, a key component of CPEC, serves as a major trade and energy transit hub for China. However, the Baloch people have vehemently opposed Chinese projects, viewing them as exploitative.
What happened to the hijacked Jaffar Express, which was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar with over 400 passengers on March 11, remains unclear. After a 30-hour siege, the Pakistani Army claimed to have successfully ended the operation, while the BLA stated that they had escaped with 214 hostages and executed them. The truth may never be fully known, but one fact remains clear – Balochistan is rising once again.
This time, the uprising may be far more challenging for Pakistan to contain, given the multiple crises it is currently facing. It has failed to win the hearts of the people of Balochistan and is now resorting to blaming external forces. Instead of falsely accusing others, including India, of its failures, Pakistan must confront its internal problems.
It oppressed the Bangladeshis until they broke free in 1971. It attempted to incite unrest in Punjab and Kashmir and has been behind almost every major terrorist attack in India. It nurtured terrorist networks to destabilise India and other nations. Now, the chaos it sowed is finally coming back to haunt Pakistan.
The very terror network it created has turned against it, and it is now reaping the consequences of its actions. Balochistan serves as a mirror, exposing Pakistan’s sinister designs.
(Deepika Bhan can be contacted at deepika.b@ians.in)
–IANS
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