Baloch National Insurgency 1973-1977
A
long-dormant crisis erupted in Balochistan in 1973 into an insurgency that
lasted four years and became increasingly bitter. The insurgency was put down
by the Pakistan Army, which employed brutal methods and equipment, including
Huey-Cobra helicopter gunship, provided by Iran and flown by Iranian pilots.
The deep-seated Baloch nationalism based on tribal identity had international
as well as domestic aspects. Divided in the nineteenth century among Iran,
Afghanistan, and British India, the Baloch found their aspirations and
traditional nomadic life frustrated by the presence of national boundaries and
the extension of central administration over their lands. Moreover, many of the
most militant Baloch nationalists were also vaguely Marxist-Leninist and
willing to risk Soviet protection for an autonomous Balochistan. As the
insurgency wore on, the influence of a relatively small but disciplined
liberation front seemed to increase.
Bhutto
was able to mobilize domestic support for his drive against the Baloch.
Punjab's support was most tangibly represented in the use of the army to put
down the insurgency. One of the main Baloch grievances was the influx of
Punjabi settlers, miners, and traders into their resource-rich but sparsely
populated lands. Bhutto could also invoke the idea of national integration with
effect in the aftermath of Bengali secession. The shah of Iran, who feared a
spread of the insurrection among the Iranian Baloch, generously gave external
assistance to Bhutto. Some foreign governments feared that an independent or
autonomous Balochistan might allow the Soviet Union to develop and use the port
at Gwadar, and no outside power was willing to assist the Baloch openly or to
sponsor the cause of Baloch autonomy. During the mid-1970s, Afghanistan was
preoccupied with its own internal problems and seemingly anxious to normalize
relations with Pakistan. India was fearful of further balkanization of the
subcontinent after Bangladesh, and the Soviet Union did not wish to jeopardize
the leverage it was gaining with Pakistan. However, during the Bhutto regime
hostilities in Balochistan were protracted. The succeeding Zia ul-Haq
government took a more moderate approach, relying more on economic development
to placate the Baloch.