Ethno-political Conflict in Pakistan by Rizwan Zeb

Author:Rizwan Zeb [Zeb, Rizwan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9781000729924
Google: NvrDDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-12-12T04:59:43+00:00

The Baloch insurgency

The dismissal of the Mengal government and the subsequent arrest of Sardar Ataullah Mengal, Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri and Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo and others, was taken as an attack on the Baloch honour. Due to this, a number of Baloch rose against the central government. According to Selig Harrison,

The Ryvaj, the traditional code of honor, requires the true Baloch to fight, if necessary, to defend his personal and tribal honor, and the overwhelming majority of Baloch tribal leaders regarded Bhutto’s action as a deliberate insult to all Baloch, requiring military redress.60

Six weeks after the ouster of the Mengal government, Baloch insurgents were targeting army conveys.61 Most significant of these attacks took place on 18 May 1973 at Tandoori in which the Baloch insurgents targeted a team of Dir Scouts patrolling the area, killing all of them and taking away their weapons.62 In a different attack which took place on the same day, the Baloch insurgents targeted the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kalat.63

As it was stated in the previous chapter, the Pararis decided not to completely dismantle and keep their network intact despite agreeing to a ceasefire in the late 1960s. Bhutto’s breach of Baloch honour provided the Parari leadership reason enough to restart their militant activities. As it happened, the Pararis under the leadership of Mir Hazar played a significant role in the Baloch insurgency during the Bhutto regime.64 Selig Harrison stated that

The authority of the guerrillas was largely unchallenged in the Marri area, where they enjoyed the active, albeit covert, support of the tribal sardar and received food and other necessities from the Baloch populace. Here, in particular, the Pararis hoped to establish a ‘liberated’ zone of base area, comparable to Mao’s Yenan, in the event that the Baloch embarked on a full-scale struggle for independence from Pakistan.65

The militant presence was particularly strong in Sarawan, Jhalawan and Marri-Bugti areas. The Baloch guerrillas had an elaborate command structure. The prominent commanders of the Baloch insurgents included Mir Hazar Khan, Lauang Khan, Ali Muhammad Mengal, Zafar Khan, Khair Jan Bizenjo, Suliman Khan Ahmadzai, and Mir Alsam Khan Gichki.

By July 1974, the casualty figure of the security forces was on the rise. The Baloch insurgents managed to control most of the roads and highways and almost cut the province off from the rest of the country. This resulted in the occasional disruption of the rail links and supply of coals to Punjab. The insurgents also regularly targeted and almost halted any oil and gas exploration and further drilling and surveying.

This changed with the battle at Chamalang which lasted for six days. At present, the battle at Chamalang occupies a significant place in Baloch narrative of injustice and atrocities committed against them by the centre. Every year, during the summer, the Marris used to relocate to the valley of Chamalang. In 1974, while most of the Marri men were engaged in fighting with the Pakistan Army, women, children and the elderly came to the valley with their flocks of animals. According

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