Conflict and geopolitics of Balochistan implications on Pakistan's security

Abstract

The decades-old elusive conflict of Balochistan deserves considerable intellectual and academic attention owing to its promising importance and intimidating implications in the thrilling contemporary regional as well as international politics. The resilient conflict revolves around a triad syndicate of its substantial geopolitical location, abundant natural resources and their unjust exploitation by the federation. It is commonly held that the Baloch nationalists, particularly the belligerent Baloch Sardars, are exclusively responsible for all the ill-happing in the restive province but the empirical approach adopted in this thesis for the conflict analysis deemed it a prejudice proposition, as all stockholders are evenly liable for all insane-phenomena in the tumultuous province. This study has found historical and scientific collusive liaison among the important geopolitical position of the Baloch land (in the middle of South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia and Indian Ocean), the historic claims of Baloch nationalists of being a sovereign nation, the moneyed natural resources and their exploitation, geopolitical interests of the regional and extra-regional players and aggressive behaviors of both Baloch nationalists and Islamabad synchronized with the dynamic changes in the contemporary international politics. The empirical approach adopted in this study suggests that the primary nature of the conflict is purely internal rather than external but presently the external factors have enduringly penetrated in the tug of war between Islamabad and Baloch nationalists, levering up later erstwhile demand of maximum provincial autonomy to a full-fledged sovereignty. The external nexus with the long-running indigenous armed struggle for the longstanding denied but genuine politico-economic rights heralding and inflicting far-reaching repercussions to both, Baloch nationalists and Islamabad respectively. The need of the hour is to unlock the locked horns of the warring parties because the nationalist movement and the right of self-determination are still vibrant in the Machiavellian international politics.