Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ISLAMABAD16987
2006-08-29 10:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Islamabad
Cable title:
BALOCHISTAN (3): A RESTLESS HISTORY
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C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 016987
SIPDIS
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (PARA MARKINGS)
SIPDIS
NOFORN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2015
TAGS: PK PREL PGOV PTER PINR
SUBJECT: BALOCHISTAN (3): A RESTLESS HISTORY
REF: A. ISLAMABAD 14349
B. ISLAMABAD 16269
C. ISLAMABAD 16944
D. ISLAMABAD 16962
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Peter W. Bodde,
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ISLAMABAD 016987
SIPDIS
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (PARA MARKINGS)
SIPDIS
NOFORN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2015
TAGS: PK PREL PGOV PTER PINR
SUBJECT: BALOCHISTAN (3): A RESTLESS HISTORY
REF: A. ISLAMABAD 14349
B. ISLAMABAD 16269
C. ISLAMABAD 16944
D. ISLAMABAD 16962
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Peter W. Bodde,
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Summary: Balochistan has a history of uprisings
against Pakistani rule. Major insurrections occurred in
1947-48, 1958, throughout the 1960s, and 1973-77. The Bugti
tribe has been waging a localized insurgency since 2004. This
cable on insurrections in Balochistan since the founding of
Pakistan in 1947 is part of series on the political dynamics
in Pakistan's largest but least-populated province. End
summary.
2. (U) The Government of Pakistan's Balochistan problem began
the day after partition in August 1947, when the Baloch Khan
of Kalat declared the province,s independence. Kalat's drive
for Baloch independence lasted until March 1948, when the
Pakistan Army moved into the province. There was little
unrest in the early 1950s, when Balochistan was given the
unique status of a "state union" within Pakistan, a step
below that of a full-fledged province.
3. (U) Modern Baloch nationalism arose between 1955 and 1970,
when the disputes between the province and Islamabad over
natural resource exploitation by the federal government, lack
of representation in the federal bureaucracy and government,
inadequate access to jobs and education, and the influx of
settlers from other provinces first came to the fore. To
offset growing Bengali power in East Pakistan, the GOP
abolished all the provinces in West Pakistan in 1955 and
created a single province--what was called the "One Unit." In
Balochistan, this arrangement was seen as reducing provincial
autonomy and reinforcing Punjabi domination. During the "One
Unit" era, the GOP began to exploit the natural gas fields at
Sui in Dera Bugti district and insurgents christened
themselves "firaris," a Baloch name for those whose
grievances cannot be satisfied through negotiations.
4. (U) An uprising in 1958 was put down by the military;
subsequent insurrections flared throughout the 1960s, ending
when the "One Unit" was broken up in 1970 and Balochistan
became a full province.
5. (C/NF) The most severe Baloch insurrection raged from 1973 to
1977, with an estimated 55,000 tribal militants and 80,000
Pakistani troops fighting in the eastern and central parts of
the province. Fighting was triggered by the dismissal of the
provincial government in February 1973 and subsequent
imposition of central government rule by Prime Minister
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who sought to consolidate power in the
hands of the Pakistan Peoples, Party (PPP). The Marri,
Bugti, and Mengal tribes overcame traditional differences to
join forces to fight the Bhutto government. During the
uprising, as many as 10,000 Baloch fled to Afghanistan for
safety. The Army eventually suppressed the uprising, after
some 5,000 Baloch fighters and 3,000 government soldiers died
in the fighting.
6. (C/NF) In the 1980s and 1990s, militants launched sporadic
attacks on government forces and development projects as the
Baloch tribes tried to squeeze royalties out of the
government and oil and gas companies. The period was also
marked by severe intertribal fighting as the unity of the
1970s faded.
BODDE
SIPDIS
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (PARA MARKINGS)
SIPDIS
NOFORN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2015
TAGS: PK PREL PGOV PTER PINR
SUBJECT: BALOCHISTAN (3): A RESTLESS HISTORY
REF: A. ISLAMABAD 14349
B. ISLAMABAD 16269
C. ISLAMABAD 16944
D. ISLAMABAD 16962
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Peter W. Bodde,
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) Summary: Balochistan has a history of uprisings
against Pakistani rule. Major insurrections occurred in
1947-48, 1958, throughout the 1960s, and 1973-77. The Bugti
tribe has been waging a localized insurgency since 2004. This
cable on insurrections in Balochistan since the founding of
Pakistan in 1947 is part of series on the political dynamics
in Pakistan's largest but least-populated province. End
summary.
2. (U) The Government of Pakistan's Balochistan problem began
the day after partition in August 1947, when the Baloch Khan
of Kalat declared the province,s independence. Kalat's drive
for Baloch independence lasted until March 1948, when the
Pakistan Army moved into the province. There was little
unrest in the early 1950s, when Balochistan was given the
unique status of a "state union" within Pakistan, a step
below that of a full-fledged province.
3. (U) Modern Baloch nationalism arose between 1955 and 1970,
when the disputes between the province and Islamabad over
natural resource exploitation by the federal government, lack
of representation in the federal bureaucracy and government,
inadequate access to jobs and education, and the influx of
settlers from other provinces first came to the fore. To
offset growing Bengali power in East Pakistan, the GOP
abolished all the provinces in West Pakistan in 1955 and
created a single province--what was called the "One Unit." In
Balochistan, this arrangement was seen as reducing provincial
autonomy and reinforcing Punjabi domination. During the "One
Unit" era, the GOP began to exploit the natural gas fields at
Sui in Dera Bugti district and insurgents christened
themselves "firaris," a Baloch name for those whose
grievances cannot be satisfied through negotiations.
4. (U) An uprising in 1958 was put down by the military;
subsequent insurrections flared throughout the 1960s, ending
when the "One Unit" was broken up in 1970 and Balochistan
became a full province.
5. (C/NF) The most severe Baloch insurrection raged from 1973 to
1977, with an estimated 55,000 tribal militants and 80,000
Pakistani troops fighting in the eastern and central parts of
the province. Fighting was triggered by the dismissal of the
provincial government in February 1973 and subsequent
imposition of central government rule by Prime Minister
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who sought to consolidate power in the
hands of the Pakistan Peoples, Party (PPP). The Marri,
Bugti, and Mengal tribes overcame traditional differences to
join forces to fight the Bhutto government. During the
uprising, as many as 10,000 Baloch fled to Afghanistan for
safety. The Army eventually suppressed the uprising, after
some 5,000 Baloch fighters and 3,000 government soldiers died
in the fighting.
6. (C/NF) In the 1980s and 1990s, militants launched sporadic
attacks on government forces and development projects as the
Baloch tribes tried to squeeze royalties out of the
government and oil and gas companies. The period was also
marked by severe intertribal fighting as the unity of the
1970s faded.
BODDE