The internet is abuzz with reactions of two freshly streamed web series - 'The Family Man' and 'Bard of Blood' starring Manoj Bajpayi and Imran Hashmi as respective leads. Both the work of fiction give viewers a glimpse into the security operations of Indian spy agencies in Balochistan, the southwestern energy rich province of Pakistan. It's a well known fact that a section of people in Balochistan seek separation from Pakistan and make it an Independent country. There have been several attempts by the Balochi leaders, who sought India's help in getting Independence.

Pakistan is accused of carrying out human rights violations in Balochistan and that's why the local community which has a different language and culture do not want to stay with the country. Pakistani forces, over the years have, assassinated several Baloch leaders in order to muzzle their voice and keep them away from India.

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Here's a little backgrounder about what all is happening in Balochistan and why people there are seeking help from India.

Where is Balochistan?

Located in the South-Western part of Pakistan, Balochistan constitutes about half of the country’s territory but a mere 3.6 per cent of its total population.

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The region is sparsely populated. In other words less people live in the large area that covers Baluchistan. The region holds immense strategic importance to Pakistan as it is very rich in natural resources. These include gas, gold, copper and oil. In fact, Pakistan is significantly dependent on this area for gas.

How it became a part of Pakistan?

The perils of Baluchistan too can be traced back to British imperialism. Before 1947, the year that India gained independence and Pakistan became a separate state, the province in question comprised of four kingdoms of Kalat, Lasbela, Kharan and Makran.

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Historical records suggest that an independent state of Kalat was mooted by Mohammad Ali Jinnah -- Pakistan’s equal of Mahatma Gandhi -- before partition but he later changed his mind and eyed the entire Baluchistan region to come under the umbrella of Pakistan. And there began the trouble.

The Pakistan Army moved into Balochistan on March 26, 1948, and captured Kalat on April 1, 1948.

A movement on the rise

Military atrocities began to peak up in Balochistan as people were opposed to the decision of Pakistan. They wanted to remain free but Pakistan had snatched their sovereignty.

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This was further empowered as people in the Balochistan region had a deeply shared cultural and historical ties among them, which separated them from the ethos that came to define the modern-day Pakistan. There was a similar problem in East Pakistan that led to its freedom and the formation of Bangladesh as a separate independent country.

The Baloch people were inspired by the Bengali movement and many took to arms as throughout the 1970s, the demand for an independent country of Balochistan gained momentum. More and more people joined the movement. They were however too small when compared to the entire population of Pakistan.

The Pakistani establishment with the help of its military and resources crushed the movement.

From ethnic nationality to natural resources

Over the next two-three decades, the Balochistan movement faced severe brunt of Pakistani authorities and were systematically crushed down. As a new generation of Balochs gained consciousness, the demand for an ethnic nationality was left behind as the claim over natural resources of the region gained prominence.

The Balochistan Post

There may be several factors behind this change but it was primarily because Pakistan had by then begun to extract natural resources from the region in huge quantities. The Baloch leadership then led the movement to demand claim over these resources and argued that the plunder of wealth from Baluchistan was not helping the Baloch at all. The movement carried on, though suppressed and less volatile than what it was in the 1970s.

The Baluchistan movement has seen a tectonic shift after the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the centre in India. Far from being a movement suppressed in its home, the call for freedom of Baluchistan is now echoing from European capitals as well as in the hoardings that often surprisingly come up in Islamabad now.

The Indian Prime Minister has himself referred to the cause of Baloch people at numerous instances. In his Independence Day address in 2016 for example, he invoked Balochistan from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

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“Today from the ramparts of Red Fort, I want to greet and express my thanks to some people. In the last few days, people of Balochistan, Gilgit, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir have thanked me, have expressed gratitude, and expressed good wishes for me. The people who are living far away, whom I have never seen, never met – such people have expressed appreciation for Prime Minister of India, for 125 crore countrymen. This is an honour for our countrymen,” he said.

It inspired the Baloch leadership to become more vociferous and strengthen their movement. The result was seen soon as on the day Pakistan celebrated its independence day this year, at least two prominent European capitals, besides the United States, saw organised campaigns seminars to highlight the plight of Baloch people.

No full stop to tragedies

Even as the issue of Balochistan has gained increasing attention in the recent years, there is no full stop to the tragedies of those who seek to liberate the country and form an independent union for the Balochi people. Reports of violations of human rights and brutal suppression of protests are rife every now and then.

The Hans India

China has also been quietly engaging with Baloch militants in the province to protect its USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative. However, the Baloch movement is also opposed to the OBOR and has routinely engaged in destroying the major sites. This leads to further retaliation and suppression by the Pakistani side as it holds OBOR as very significant to the country’s progress.

Seeking global attention

The Baloch activists have repeatedly maintained that they need international support to free themselves from Pakistan.

The Indian Wire

At numerous instances, they have reached out to the Indian establishments too. However, the trend has been shifting in recent years as protests against human rights violations in the region as well as demand for its freedom have now begun to echo in prominent western capitals. From cricket matches to banners on London buses and hoardings outside the UNGA convention, the Balochs are taking their movement to an all new level.

Needless to mention, Pakistan denies all such allegations.