A few decades back, Balochistan was a proud land. It was a place not only of broad deserts and harsh mountains, but also of people; people who were not only stubborn of their convictions but also very gracious of their welcome and never forgot their honour. Baloch’s were also characterized by strong defence of the travellers, respect of the elderly and women, and observance of the tribal justice. This was not custom, but foundations of identity. Although the moral compass of Baloch society was formed in the harsh territory, it was an epitome of understanding, pride, and power.
The Assault on Identity
However, the identity of today is being threatened, both internally and externally. During the last 20 years, Balochistan has been invaded by a well-organized program of lies and corruption. This does not only come as a social change and political friction. It is a result of a foreign-led conspiracy that aimed at a complete takeover of the spirit of the Baloch nation. Enemies are using extremism as their tool and dressing it in the robes of deception activism to destabilize the region in the interest of their strategic gains.
The extremist groups now act as the proxies as they are funded and led to deceive the whole generation. They murder in the name of rights, plunder in the name of freedom, destroy cultural heritage in the name of so-called progress. They are very rhetorical about being victims, but their behaviour betrays the desire not to get justice, but to take the power.
A Culture Corrupted
This has left nothing short of a moral breakdown. Brotherhood which was considered a power source has changed into paranoia. The sound of truth is replaced with propaganda that spreads like bushfire. Bravery has been replaced with performative activism, in which the faces are concealed by the mask not only by officials, but also by shame.
Even teachers are targets because they are innocents, labourers, travellers. Not foreigners slaughter the daily wage workers but their friends who claim to support their plight. Musicians, artists and other poets that talk of unity and peace are silenced, exiled or killed. Balochistan does not face any direct attack by the imperial powers; rather, there is an attack on their cultural soul by rented voices.
The Misuse of Women and Youth
Exploitation of Baloch women can be described as one of the saddest consequences of this decline. Educated women are used to be torchers of education, empowerment, and reform in their community, but today they are being used as instruments of destruction. They are blackmailed, taped, and subdued to engaging in violent acts including suicide attacks all the time being sold the illusion of liberation at the expense of their dignity and their humanity.
This is no empowerment. It is oppression in the form of resistance. Yet, it is sold to the world as the progress. Younger clansmen of Baloch are not exempted either. The lion-hearted Young citizens, who stood defiantly in the face of the Middle-Aged with faces uncovered, defending the cause of truth and justice, now shelter themselves behind slogans and head-scarves, not because they are afraid of being persecuted, but because the cause that they wish to be identified with, is hollowed out or submerged by the borrowings they have, in their turn, borrowed. What is replaced in them is identity by hashtags and foreign money sponsored narratives.
False Flags and Faded Loyalties
Crimes are committed in the name of “rights” which is not opposed. Robberies of banks, blackmail, murders of argumentative citizens are normalized. The chanting about freedom of has ironically resulted in the killings of the people who disagree with them. This kind of activism is activism at the point of a gun. And this is resistance, it is resistance against the roots. It is the values of Balochistan, honour, truth, loyalty, and pride in the culture that was always the target. They are not only inconvenient to the extremists, but they are also just dangerous to the strategy of those who want to reign in chaos.
The difference over Balochistan should not be determined by the gun and dollar people. It must be taken back using the voices of integrity. The elders as well as artists, educators and the youth must unite not as rebels against the state but as rebels against manipulation. No, the appeal is not to blood, it is to clarity. Not on slogans, but on substance. Now is the time to rekindle what made Balochistan so powerful against all odds, not just fierce independence, but strong moral core. Saving a culture does not mean a lot to the world, but it does to the Baloch. It is what they leave behind, their burden and it is their decision.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are exclusively those of the author and do not reflect the official stance, policies, or perspectives of the Platform.
