Was Baluchistan ever a sovereign state?
(After reading please post your comments below, please take pains to do that, shall be grateful)
Recently Nasim Zehra talked to students in Baluchistan, carried on TV and Najam Sethi spoke to Haer Bakhsh Marri in London. I was shocked to listen to constructed history to which neither Nasim Zehra nor Najam Sethi could counter convincingly. I was obliged to do some research whose findings are as follows:
Who is a Baloch Prince and where are they?
They (Baloch Princes) are no where to be found in the list of Princely States like Hyderabad, Mysore, Gwalior or Kashmir etc. If they were catergorised as British India they would not be in Princely States category. You could be in either not in both. I have searched many books now. Baluchistan has always been included in the British India although a Muslim majority one. I fail to understand how this story of a princely state came about. Political Agencies were not Princely States. A full list is available at the end of this article.
Did they have their own Currency, Postal and Railway System?Princely States like Hyderabad for instance had 21 gun salute, had its own currency, own postal system, own railways besides all the other institutions of State like Legislature, Executive and the Judiciary with all pillars and institutions well defined and highly developed. Nizam enjoyed the title of HEH His Exalted Highness. Except Foreign Affairs The Nizam VII of Hyderabad controlled every thing. From the British It had a resident like viceroy. In contrast Baluchistan was run by petty Commissioners, not even Governors. Did Buluchistan have any thing close? No. Even in Kashmir, a princely state, there was Hari Singh a prince and in Mysore Maharaja of Mysore enjoyed similar privileges. See the list of commissioners given at the bottom who ruled Baluchistan.
Independence of India Act:Of the 400 or more Princely States only the big Princely States had an option to either join India or Pakistan or remain independent as per Independence of India Act. India just crushed all. Invaded Hyderabad against the wishes of its people and the ruler, with 27 Division from all sides having earlier blockaded a land land locked country illegally for an year. In Pakistan, the genuinely Princely States joined Pakistan and the rest of the area was automatically amalgamated with Pakistan and the Sardars fell in line. Pray tell me how Sardars can become princes?
Badly informed media is hurting Pakistan interests and dividing people...
Media is giving undue vent to their supposed grievances and giving an un-necessary platform to a secessionist idea. Media is playing to the gallery for small gains and at the expense of national interests. Petty sardars were not princes. There is no way British would allow 400 countries in The Sub-Continent. In the entire struggle for independence no where do you find mention of regions demanding independence. It was just the two nation theory that was the issue. There was not a mention of a region. It was not a struggle for Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan or Pakhtunisatan. It was purely Hindu and Muslim issue and hence the struggle. Any thing else is figment of imagination. Some even made comparison with Nepal it is just not true. This is not fact but fiction.
Bad policies, governance and the callous Punjabi domination...
Unfortunately it is just weak and poor governance and bad policies subsequently that have turned things sour and so sour. Punjab being the most populous State and rather callous in their approach occupied all military and government positions all over the country. And that was also one of the reasons of East Pakistan becoming Bangla Desh. Punjab indeed should have cared for the aspirations and sentiments of other provinces and restrained instead of riding rough shod over the rights of people of other provinces. Not only Baluchistan but all provinces resent Punjabi overwhelming presence and dominance in Government and armed forces.
Resentment against Punjabi domination should not be aimed at Pakistan...
But let not your resentment against Punjab be a resentment against the State of Pakistan. Pakistan belongs to you and me alike although all of us may be ethnically a little different from each other. But that is OK. Don't forget we are all Muslims and only on this basis we got independence from The Brits and nothing else. It was The Two Nation Theory that made Pakistan and gave us independence otherwise we would still be under British Rule.
How will you stop Osmosis? Bring back the Baloch Diaspora to Baluchistan...
But let us not forget that Baluchistan has more land and less people. The osmosis is going to take place. Liquid from higher pressure will move to areas of lesser pressure. That is natural. It has happened every where. You cannot stop it. You cannot fight it by guns. It is not good for the State and the people of Baluchistan. There are ways to ensure Baluchi population is protected. Give them eduction, protection in jobs and businesses. Have genuine development in Baluchistan so that The Baloch Diaspora comes back to Baluchistan, invests there and settles down in their own home. Nothing else is going to work. Do something for the people of Baluchistan not for Sardars who have exploited the Balochs no ends already.
Baluchistan is a virgin territory, can be turned into the most prosperous area in the region...Baluchistan and hence the Balochs are blessed with immense natural resources. But all of it is deep under ground or high up. There is enormous water barely a few feet beneath that can turn the entire Baluchistan green. You can grow any crop imaginable. It will become the Banana basket to the world for example. All it needs is vision, investment and hard labor. It is all available. The State has to just give law and order by all means. The benefits will accrue to the common Baloch. The Sardars will also benefit. Industrialization will follow.
The Solar irradiation is so good that if properly exploited it can give power to the entire country and may even export it to Afghanistan, India and Iran. There will be no power crunch. I am not yet talking of the minerals and oil deep down. Lets keep it for future generations. Baluchistan will be the envy of the world. It will be an example for the world to follow.
Who has kept the Balochs behind? Let a Baloch be free and then see what he does...
The Sardars with their disdain for education and development have created this situation so that people do not go after them for their tyranny and expose their rule that has kept education and development away from the people of Baluchistan. People want development but Sardars don' want it.They want the status quo and backwardness. They want their own lordship to continue at any cost while they keep people uneducated and send their own children abroad for education and also live off this land in foreign countries. Media is committing a grave mistake. Nasim Zehra was even conceding "ziyadathi huwi" meaning deprivation has taken place. Not correct. "Kya ziyadathi huwi?" agar kuch huwi tho unke sardaron se. (deprivation if it all was meted out to Balochs by the sardars not the Government of Pakistan) she should have made that plain.
No more Sardar and no more slaves please... Limit ownership of land to let more people enjoy land not few...
No body in Pakistan is against Baloch but could be against The Sardars who are arousing anti-Pakistan sentiments for their own narrow ends. In any other country they would be tried under Disaffection Law or even Treason. We cannot have the Sardar and Slave situation in Baluchistan any more. One has thousands of acres of land and the other none. Let there be social justice. Let more people enjoy the resources of the country not a chosen few. High time we brought in land ceiling and limited land ownership to not more than 56 acres per head and 14 acres under canal, as they did in India in 1951. We want all Balochs free like the rest of Pakistanis. Unfortunately some parts of Sindh and Punjab are also suffering from slavery due to landlord-ism and strict land ceiling should be applied there too.
Balochs are not against Pakistan but Sardars are...
People of Baluchistan are not speaking the sardar's language but their hand picked workers are. Law and good governance demands that they be arrested immediately and things not allowed to get out of hand. Any leniency will make matters worse. Did you not see in Lal Masjid case how delay made matters worse? Nip it in the bud if you want to stop the dismemberment of Pakistan. I have done extensive interviews, believe me the overwhelming majority of common poor Balochi is with Pakistan. Sardars are certainly not with Pakistan. Let them be themselves so long as the majority is with us.
Sardari system days are numbered...
The Sardars know the day land reforms and development comes to Baluchistan their lordship is over. They are making all out efforts to keep Baluchistan backward for as long as they can. They resist development in shape of regionalism. They have succeeded for over 60 years and now fear the time has come to give people their rights so they are conspiring with Israel and inimical neighbors to overturn the apple cart. This is their last ditch effort. They have a shadow cabinet in Jerusalem. Which state in the world is going to tolerate that? Please tell me.
When India could succeed putting down such a big rebellion why can't Pakistan?
See how India crushed the Khalistan movement totally and effectively? They used the heavy stick against the terrorists and the carrot for the common Sikh. Let one man say he is not an Indian but a Punjabi or something else see what happens. Here they are openly defying Pakistan and the interviewers and anchors are showing soft corner. The media is behaving as if The Baluchis have been wronged. If any thing The Sardars have wronged the Balochs not Pakistan. It was the Sardars that did not allow gas to the residents of Buluchistan, not Pakistan. It was publicised as if Pakistan did not give gas to the Balochs. Sardars stopped them. If the Sardars have a minimum level of honesty let them deny this. People have lost lives, the law should take its course.
What belonged to British then belongs to Pakistan now...As for natural resources of mines etc. they had already surrendered to The Govt. of India then and took money for it. After creation of Pakistan it automatically goes to Paksitan. Read a full article in Dawn. Now what are they claiming?
No more Sardar and no more slaves please... Limit ownership of land to let more people enjoy land not few...
No body in Pakistan is against Baloch but could be against The Sardars who are arousing anti-Pakistan sentiments for their own narrow ends. In any other country they would be tried under Disaffection Law or even Treason. We cannot have the Sardar and Slave situation in Baluchistan any more. One has thousands of acres of land and the other none. Let there be social justice. Let more people enjoy the resources of the country not a chosen few. High time we brought in land ceiling and limited land ownership to not more than 56 acres per head and 14 acres under canal, as they did in India in 1951. We want all Balochs free like the rest of Pakistanis. Unfortunately some parts of Sindh and Punjab are also suffering from slavery due to landlord-ism and strict land ceiling should be applied there too.
Balochs are not against Pakistan but Sardars are...
People of Baluchistan are not speaking the sardar's language but their hand picked workers are. Law and good governance demands that they be arrested immediately and things not allowed to get out of hand. Any leniency will make matters worse. Did you not see in Lal Masjid case how delay made matters worse? Nip it in the bud if you want to stop the dismemberment of Pakistan. I have done extensive interviews, believe me the overwhelming majority of common poor Balochi is with Pakistan. Sardars are certainly not with Pakistan. Let them be themselves so long as the majority is with us.
Sardari system days are numbered...
The Sardars know the day land reforms and development comes to Baluchistan their lordship is over. They are making all out efforts to keep Baluchistan backward for as long as they can. They resist development in shape of regionalism. They have succeeded for over 60 years and now fear the time has come to give people their rights so they are conspiring with Israel and inimical neighbors to overturn the apple cart. This is their last ditch effort. They have a shadow cabinet in Jerusalem. Which state in the world is going to tolerate that? Please tell me.
When India could succeed putting down such a big rebellion why can't Pakistan?
See how India crushed the Khalistan movement totally and effectively? They used the heavy stick against the terrorists and the carrot for the common Sikh. Let one man say he is not an Indian but a Punjabi or something else see what happens. Here they are openly defying Pakistan and the interviewers and anchors are showing soft corner. The media is behaving as if The Baluchis have been wronged. If any thing The Sardars have wronged the Balochs not Pakistan. It was the Sardars that did not allow gas to the residents of Buluchistan, not Pakistan. It was publicised as if Pakistan did not give gas to the Balochs. Sardars stopped them. If the Sardars have a minimum level of honesty let them deny this. People have lost lives, the law should take its course.
What belonged to British then belongs to Pakistan now...As for natural resources of mines etc. they had already surrendered to The Govt. of India then and took money for it. After creation of Pakistan it automatically goes to Paksitan. Read a full article in Dawn. Now what are they claiming?
| Placate the Baloch, sideline the sardars! |
Fascinating:
Reproduced below from history (Encyclopedia Britannica) are some historical facts. Please see. Quoted:
Baluchistan during the British India period contained four princely states and an Omani Port of Gwadar (which later became part of Pakistna on 08 Dec. 1958). Below are details of rulers:
Baluchistan - Province of British India:
- Gwadar
- Kalat
- Kharan
- Lasbela
- Makran
19 Jun 1877 British India Baluchistan Province
1896 Province of British India.
14/15 Aug 1947 Baluchistan becomes a big province of Pakistan. | |
| On June 19, 1877 The British occupy Quetta. Baluchistan becomes British India's Province on October 1, 1877. From November 1, 1877 it is incorporated into British India. Chief Commissioners: (where are the sardars? Sardars are not princes any way).
· Sir Oliver Beauchamp Coventry St. John (1st time).19 Jun 1877 - 11 Dec 1887
· Acting Chief commissioner.
· Sir Robert Groves Sandeman (1st time).............11 Dec 1887 - 03 Apr 1889
· Sir Harry North Dalrymple Prendergast (acting)....03 Apr 1889 - 08 Oct 1889
· Sir Robert Groves Sandeman (2nd time).............08 Oct 1889 - 23 Apr 1891
· Sir Hugh Shakespear Barnes (1st time, acting).....23 Apr 1891 - 08 May 1891
· Sir Oliver Beauchamp Coventry St. John (2nd time).09 May 1891 - 04 Jun 1891
· Sir Hugh Shakespear Barnes (2nd time, acting).....05 Jun 1891 - 09 Jul 1891
· John Biddulph (acting)............................10 Jul 1891 - 16 Nov 1891
· Sir Robert Groves Sandeman (3rd time).............16 Nov 1891 - 29 Jan 1892
· Sir Hugh Shakespear Barnes (3rd time, acting).....29 Jan 1892 - 21 Mar 1892
· Sir James Browne..................................22 Mar 1892 - 13 Jun 1896
· James Adair Crawford (acting).....................14 Jun 1896 - 14 Nov 1896
· Sir Hugh Shakespear Barnes (4th time).............15 Nov 1896 - 12 Apr 1899
· Henry Wylie (acting)..............................12 Apr 1899 - 21 Dec 1899
· Sir Hugh Shakespear Barnes (5th time).............21 Dec 1899 - 20 Nov 1900
· Charles Edward Yate...............................20 Nov 1900 - 04 Nov 1904
· John Ramsay (1st time, acting).............04 Nov 1904 - 23 Jan 1905
· Alexander Lauzun Pendock Tucker (acting)23 Jan 1905 - 02 Apr 1907
· Sir Arthur Henry McMahon (1st time)......02 Apr 1907 - 03 Jun 1909
· Charles Archer (1st time, acting)..........03 Jun 1909 - 06 Sep 1909
· Sir Arthur Henry McMahon (2nd time)......06 Sep 1909 - 25 Apr 1911
· John Ramsay (2nd time)...................25 Apr 1911 - 21 Oct 1912
· Charles Archer (2nd time, acting).......... 21 Oct 1912 - 14 Nov 1912
· John Ramsay (3rd time)...................14 Nov 1912 - 02 Apr 1914
· Charles Archer (3rd time, acting)...........02 Apr 1914 - 23 May 1914
· John Ramsay (4th time)................... 23 May 1914 - 15 Jun 1915
· Charles Archer (4th time, acting)...........15 Jun 1915 - 05 Jul 1915
· John Ramsay (5th time)....................05 Jul 1915 - 05 Dec 1917
· Sir Henry Robert Conway Dobbs.......... 05 Dec 1917 - 01 Sep 1919
· Armine Brereton Dew.................... 01 Sep 1919 - Jun 1922
· Henry Beauchamp St. John (1st time, acting)..Jun 1922 - 15 Sep 1923
· Frederick William Johnston.............15 Sep 1923 - 07 Jul 1926
· Edmond Henry Salt James (1st time, acting)...07 Jul 1926 - 04 Nov 1927
· Henry Beauchamp St. John (2nd time, acting)...04 Nov 1927 - 02 Feb 1929
· Edmond Henry Salt James (2nd time, acting)... 02 Feb 1929 - 01 Oct 1929
· Charles Edward Bruce (acting)............. 01 Oct 1929 - 17 Dec 1931
· Alexander Norman Ley Cater (1st time, acting). 17 Dec 1931 - 10 May 1932
· John Aloysius Brett (acting).................10 May 1932 - 01 Oct 1932
· Alexander Norman Ley Cater (2nd time).........01 Oct 1932 - 01 Apr 1936
· Ronald Evelyn Leslie Wingate (1st time, acting)..01 Apr 1936 - 18 Apr 1936
· Arthur Edward Broadbent Parsons (1sttime,acting)18 Apr 1936 - 20 Jun 1937
· Ronald Evelyn Leslie Wingate (2nd time, acting)..20 Jun 1937 - 28 Nov 1937
· Olaf Kirkpatrick Caroe (acting)...............28 Nov 1937 - 14 Mar 1938
· Arthur Edward Broadbent Parsons (2nd time).....14 Mar 1938 - 11 Aug 1939
· Sir Herbert Aubrey Francis Metcalfe.........11 Aug 1939 - 24 Nov 1943
· William Rupert Hay..........................24 Nov 1943 - 1946
· Henry Mortimer Poulton......................14 May 1946 - 1946
· Sir Geoffrey Prior..........................1946 - 15 Aug 1947
· Continued to be the Chief Commissioner of Pakistan's Province of Baluchistan
· till 03 Oct 1947.
Balochistan today: Placate the Baloch, sideline the sardars! http://pakalert.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/the-story-of-bugti’s-death/ Balochistan a part of Pakistan as you can see some pictures above. People were freed from the British and the land lords yoke and were poised to write their own destiny. They rejected their destiny to be written either by The British or the vested interests of the region. Muslim League did not wage a struggle so that some land lords came to power and controlled the destiny of the Baloch common man. We are with the people of Balochistan, we want them to be free and wish the best for them. Some old beautiful pictures of Baluchistan of the British Time. Dinosaurs of Pakistan. Watch: Dinosaurs of Balochistan. King George and Queen Mary visit Balochistan in 1906. Watch and simply enjoy the music.: How Baluchistan joined Pakistan: http://thedawn.com.pk/2009/07/12/baluchistan-how-it-joined-pakistan/ Now there is no question of any more independence. It is already free and the most important of Pakistan. |
17 comments:
Thank God at least someone has done research and put facts on the net. Hope people in the media benefit from it. If you talk to Balochis no one is in favour of Sardars. As a matter of fact they don't know how to get rid of them because they do not allow any development. There has been some resentment due to Punjabi settlers but that is not a big issue. They fear they will be wiped out.
At last some one puts things in the right perspective. Seems the claim of these sardars that it was a sovereign independent state as that ass Marri says is total lies and bullshit. They must be crushed by full force while we love and nurture the local Balochs. We are committed to the upliftment of Balochs not petty tyrant sardars. They want to have a separate country. They never had it. How can they have it now?
Unable to give good governance and now thrown out they the sardars want to make a come back. They kept their people illiterate and now are fooling them by projecting as if any wrong has been done to them. They had surrendered all their rights and took money now what are they talking about? They are tyrants. We want Pakistan. We dont want to be thrown at the mercy of these sardars. We are Baloch and we do not want to be ruled by sardars who live in comfort in Karachi, Islamabad or London or America. They have made the area so bad they dont want to live there, themselves. They just want to come here and rule. They are unnecessarily insigting people. UK must arrest Marri and send him to Pakistan.
Balucistan was not a princely state. There were big tribal chiefs like Khan of Khalat. A group of Sardars was somehow titled as Shahi Girgha. These Sardars have never played any positive role for uplifting the common Baluchis. Akbar Bughthi and other Sardars of his level have been filthy rich, but they never opened any schools, colleges or medical centres in their areas for thier respective tribesmen. Beside committing crimes in their own province, they carried out criminal activites in other provinces. Most of the car lifting gangs of Karachi were supported by the Baluchi sardars.
True. The Bugtis, The Mengals and The Marris are known to be cold blooded killers. They are not princely at all. They must all be put in jail, tried and punished for their crimes. They must be pubicly hanged so that all the sardars know their fate if they do not behave as per the laws of the State. How dare they say they are not Pakistanis. Pakistan gave them the freedom that no government could ever give. British treated them like slaves. For us those British were a million times better than these tyrant sardars. We plead Pakistan Government to be strong and show no mercy to traitors of the state.
It is amazing how the Pakistan Government has allowed the problem to drift. They must act at the slightest hint of insurgency and must show no mercy at all. The problem is these Vaderas and Choudhries have an unholy alliance with these sardars they belong to the same anti Pakistan people clan so how can they act. Since the day Mr. 10% to 100% took over and nobody stopped him to get to power it was clear no decisive actions could take place. He has no time for the country. He occasionally visits. His interests are all abroad. This total illiterate rursticated from Pitaro couldn't care less what the hell happens to Pakistan. The moment this crook took over the unscrupulous agents of the sardar's got the chance to conspire and get active against the people of Baluchistan and Pakistan. And for God's sake stop this Punjabisation in Baluchistan and Sindh to save the country. Give all a fair chance. Let merit rule and if at all any help is given it must be given to weaker sections of society. Remember we majority of Balochs have no grouse against Pakistan. The sardars have a problem as they fear if developments take place like it happened in Musharraf's time it will erode their power base.
It is important to differentiate between the common Baloch who is with Pakistan and the Sardar's chamchas who are paid stooges. The innocents must be spared and the culprits punished. Some leaders must go and tell people that they are being misled and serving the line of sardars that will for ever keep them slaves.
These Sardars are exploiting us, not giving us any thing. Keeping every thing for themselves and are now making us fight our own people. All Sardars must be arrested now tried for ghaddari and put behind bars. Now.
Sorry for my bad english. Thank you so much for your good post. Your post helped me in my college assignment, If you can provide me more details please email me.
It is a huge land mass occupying 41% of Pakistan with only 1.75% Baloch population. It is high time Balochistan integrated with Pakistan. These petty Sardars must all be arrested, tried and duly punished so that the common resident in Balochistan is freed from the bonds of slavery of the tyrannical Sardars. They promote tribalism to keep their own grip and not allow development of Balochistan. Indeed Punjabi domination no one likes but what can we do when we are so few. Balochs have done nothing now for 63 years and are not likely to do anything for the next 200 years. This Nawaz Sharif is not being honest and is fomenting hatred by siding with the Sardars instead with the people of Balochistan. Just to spite Musharraf he is playing with Balochistan
High time Balochistan integrated well in the polity of Pakistan. Balochs are all over Pakistan. Why should non-Balochs be not allowed in Balochistan? Just because the tyrant Sardars want so? It is not good for the common Balochs it may suit the sardar to keep the Balochs as slaves. What will happen when Baloch all over Pakistan are driven out or discriminated against. Start national integration. High time.
This really a beautiful article. The writer has worked really hard to bring us so many facts that were not known to us. And I see every one seems to be reading this article so much. We all talk about this article all the time.
He guys as I can see on your feedback list there have been a lot and a lot of reading of this really well researched beautifully written article. You guys read it but give no comments. I see very few comments. For God's sake read and don't forget to comment. Lets know what our people think. You do not have to agree with the author.
A very informative and authentic account of Balochistan. I appreciate the effort for opening our eyes.
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