Greater Balochistan a Kingdom in the Clouds

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From: "chaudry" <k_w572001@yahoo.com>
Date: Oct 16, 2013 12:30 AM
Subject: █▓▒░(°TaNoLi°)░▒▓█ Greater Balochistan a Kingdom in the Clouds
To: "mshoaibtanoli@googlegroups.com" <mshoaibtanoli@googlegroups.com>, "muslimintelligencer@yahoogroups.com" <muslimintelligencer@yahoogroups.com>, "pakistanpost@yahoogroups.com" <pakistanpost@yahoogroups.com>, "pakpress@googlegroups.com" <pakpress@googlegroups.com>, "IHRO@yahoogroups.com" <IHRO@yahoogroups.com>, "sadia elter" <heavenonearth@hotmail.com>, "joinpakistan@googlegroups.com" <joinpakistan@googlegroups.com>, "khaldee.w@gmail.com" <khaldee.w@gmail.com>

15 October 2013

By BRIG(R) MEHBOOB QADIR:

The movement for Greater Balochistan is akin to building a kingdom in the clouds

Kingdoms, countries anchor themselves in the history of the territory that they command and create a geographic identity to define their borders. And within those two parameters they go on to set up state administration and an organized society where commerce, education, science and culture , arts and crafts and all what goes for a thriving society under a state super structure, prosper. In olden times State identity was emphasized through resident ambassadors in neighboring courts, treaties, trade and jurisdiction over adjoining territories and seas or denying the same to other nations under titles of sovereignty.

Gradually those states and nations which were sufficiently stable with enterprising populations capable of producing quality surplus goods began to build support structures for evolution or seeding of a civilization. Free access to abundant river waters that could be easily diverted for irrigation into adjoining plains was the fundamental brick. Renowned civilizations thrived amongst peoples and territories which could not only support their populations but also produced with such abundance as to provide time and leisure to indulge in finer pursuits of life.

It is quite clear what should broadly constitute a claim to statehood or a successor state. To summarize, the main ingredients are a history of full scale statehood including diplomatic interaction, well recorded borders, permanent population, international treaties and trade, development of arts, crafts and sciences and a civilization or being part of a wider regional culture.

When such original states decline or are overwhelmed, they are still recognizable through their archeological remains, architectural heritage, public works, and literature and residual cultural values of the people.

All those zones where ancient civilizations evolved are known for their imperial grandeur, architecture, literature and the unique art of statehood which empires and kingdoms within their orbit practiced.

There is a talk about a greater Balochistan or revival of an extinct State of Balochistan with accompanying conspiracy theories against Pakistan and all that makes the discourse so hot. To examine the issue clinically let's give it a reality check. We will proceed to review the historic evidence, followed by the trends of contemporary international practice.

Historically, Baluch are from Allepo, Syria and descendents of legendry King Nimrod of Babylon. After the decline of Babylonian/Kaldian Kingdom they were pushed out of Syria in 612BC and they settled in the Northern provinces of Iran along the Southern rim of Caspian Sea. Where they continued for a thousand years with what they knew best; mercenary soldiering. In 485 AD, once again they had to move following the invasion of Iran by the White Huns, and transited all the way to Central Iran and again in12th Century AD to South Eastern Iran settling down in Seistan, Kirman and parts of Khorasan. They seeped into neighboring Baluchistan and South Eastern Afghanistan due to proximity. In this giant human whirlpool they linked up with the equally nettlesome Jats of Indian origin, who had settled in and around Kirman and Baluchistan –Seistan.

This belligerent twosome soon outlived their hospitality and in 15th Centuray AD had to move again for safer and more remote territories where they could pursue their favorite pastime.This time they moved to Mekran and Central Kalat highlands. Basically they were looking for a parched territory that attracted no imperial attention due to its non productivity and ungovernability.

They settled down in Mekran and had begun to maraud up and astride the Indus River into Sind, Punjab and present day Balochistan. Between Indus River and Iranian Seistan they chanced upon an ideal terrain for their kind of nomadic, predatory life style. It was a vast and barren tract of treeless desert and bare mountains stretching thousands of kilometers from Mekran to Kandahar and west of Indus River to Seistan and Herat.

Iranian, Afghan or Central Asian kingdoms were not interested to occupy this inhospitable territory except for an occasional military campaign into the Indian plains below. For that purpose they could easily obtain their allegiance through money and the lure of plunder during their raids into rich alluvial plains below. By mid 16th Century AD they were well spread and settled in the Balochistan that is now part of three countries i.e. Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Iran and Afghanistan had established their suzerainty over their parts of Baluch inhabited territories hundreds of years before Pakistan did and assimilated them firmly into their state systems.

During more than 500 years of uncertain sway mostly by larger tribal fiefdoms like Kalat, Lasbela, Mekran and Kharan the Baluch were unable to set up a unified state as ' they were hopelessly destitute of administrative capacity and statesmanship'( History of Baluch Race and Baluchistan by Mohammad Sardar Khan Baluch, page 46) .Thus had hardly any diplomatic interaction except that a British Resident Political Agent was imposed in 1884 on Kalat Court to act as overlord rather than an ambassador, no international trade or any exchange of arts and crafts.

They did not leave behind any architectural heritage or benevolent public works like wells, canals, hospitals, universities, roads and bridges. Not even self perpetuating tombs, palaces or memorials. These things do not, as a rule, interest a predatory or nomadic people. There is not even a pamphlet of Baluch literature quite naturally. Their only administration that could be considered remotely close to a state was under Mir Chakar Khan's rule (1487-1555 AD) which lasted as long as he lived and left no historic trace behind after 68 years of its hotly contested existence by equally powerful Lashari Baluchis. It was like a kingdom in the clouds.

Typically he died campaigning elsewhere and is buried near Sahiwal and not in Baluch territory. Most significantly Kalat was not a Baluch state but initially a Mongol-Turkic and finally a Mirwari Brahui principality.

Moving on to the contemporary evidence to examine the current international environment for an adventure like Greater Baluchistan. There is a similarity that has emerged between the fate of Kurdistan and that of possible future of Greater Balochistan or even an independent part of it, after the cause was internationalized and supported by outside powers. Simply put, to create a greater Baluchistan, three extremely sensitive and volatile countries will have to be undone.

Presently Afghanistan's anarchy alone is unmanageable let alone Balkanize Pakistan and Iran also. There is also no guarantee if the so called independent Balochistan could ever contribute to stability in the region as they are not a homogenous people. Then to make the matter further difficult their access to Afghanistan and Central Asia is under the choke hold of Pushtuns in a wide strategic arc from Chaghi all the way to Chaman and on to the bank of River Indus. Therefore it follows that the notion is a political impracticality, against the going international sentiment and could lead to tragic consequences in the region if followed .Our global nemesis Al Qaeda and its load of vipers look for just such an implosion to insert and operate from. The ramifications are not difficult to imagine.

Conventional political wisdom and sagacity should advise against this nostalgic adventure. With the kind of awareness and support that the Baluch 'dissident' leaders have been able to generate for their plight they would be better placed to use that for the advantageous political negotiations within the nuclearized Pakistani state rather than trying to tear it down. The world today is not open to splitting countries as a rule.

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پاکستان کسی بھی پاکستانی کے لئے اللہ کی سب سے بڑی نعمتوں میں سے ایک ہے. آج ہم جو بھی ہے یہ سب اس وجہ پاکستان کی ہے ، دوسری صورت میں ، ہم کچھ بھی نہیں ہوتا. براہ مہربانی پاکستان کے لئے مخلص ہو.
 
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