Balochistan or Baloch-Pashtun Province

Balochistan, along with the Khyber Pakthunkwa are the victims of an imaginary line, called Durand Line, which was described by Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president as the “line of Evil”. In deed that line signifies both the British and Pakistani imperialism that have subjugated the Baloch and the Pashtuns.

In 1893, the Afghan and British governments agreed to demark a 2,450-kilometer (1,519 miles) long border dividing British India and Afghanistan. The signatory of the document, known as The Durand Line Agreement, were Amir Abdur Rahman Khan, ruler of Afghanistan, and Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the foreign secretary of the British Indian government. After a series of battles and false treaties signed by the British, ‘The Durand Line Agreement’ of 1893 divides boundaries between three sovereign countries, namely Afghanistan, Balochistan and British India. According to that agreement Britain had taken a lease of the area in N.W.F.P and Balochistan, without the knowledge of Balochistan. Sir Durand gave verbal assurance to Afghanistan that the lease will last until 1993, but in the written agreement there is no mention of it. Otherwise just like Hong Kong, N.W.F.P would have gone back to Afghanistan in 1993.

The Durand Line Agreement should be a trilateral agreement and it legally required the participation and signatures of all three countries. However, the clever British drawn the agreement bilaterally between Afghanistan and British India only, and it intentionally excluded Balochistan. Thus, Balochistan has never accepted the validity of the Durand Line. The British, under false pretenses, assured the Afghan rulers that Balochistan was part of British India, and therefore, they were not required to have the consent of anyone from Balochistan to agree on demarking borders. Meanwhile, the British kept the Baloch rulers in the dark about the Durand Line Agreement to avoid any complications. According to International Law, all affected parties are required to agree to any changes in demarking their common borders. Hence, under the rules of demarking boundaries of the International Law, the Agreement of Durand Line was in error, and thus, it was null and void as soon as it was signed.

Also, International Law states that boundary changes must be made among all concerned parties; and a unilateral declaration by one party has no effect. However, the British government disregarding the objection of Afghanistan gave away the N.W.F.P to Pakistan after a fraud plebiscite. However, it never gave Baluchistan to Pakistan in the same way the British never gave away Jammu & Kashmir to India.

The Implications of Durand Line in Balochistan:

The Durand line not only divided the Baloch and Afghan Countries but also creating confusions and differences between the people living in the Pakistan occupied Balochistan. Due to this Imaginary boundary which was never accepted by Baloch nation is today creating rifts among the Baloch and Pashtuns/Afghans.

Baloch Nation is fighting a war of independence against Pakistani occupation, and Baloch should expect support of their Pashtun brothers who are for generation living side by side with the Baloch and millions of Afghans refugees were supported and accommodated in Balochistan after the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The same Afghan Refugees illegally through bribery and support of Pakistani Authorities got the nationality of Pakistan and are now siding against Baloch Nation.

In past few years one can observe the negative role Pashtuns of Balochistan against Baloch movement.


Pashtun don’t let any chance of defaming Baloch Cause go unturned, just for instance we never find the Pashtuns protesting the massacre of Baloch political activists or Baloch women and children, but if in reaction to the murder of Baloch a Punjabi settler is killed, the Pashtun start a planned campaign to condemn the killing of a Punjabi, similarly the afghans are using the name of BLA to threat the Punjabi settlers in Balochistan in order to buy their property at a cheaper price. In this way not only the afghan are buying property in Quetta but also defaming Baloch nation for being barbarian and violent against civilians.

Similarly we see the Pashtun leaders calling Balochistan as Baloch Pashtun province and showing their hatred towards Baloch nation by not even tolerating the name Balochistan, in the same way wherever the word Balochistan is used in a institute or something these racist Pashtuns try to ignore it or use any other word instead, just for example University of Balochistan is referred as Quetta University, whereas the official name of the institute is University of Balochistan.

Mehmood Khan Achakzai in his interview claimed the right of Pashtuns over Quetta, Sibi and Bolan, ignoring the historical background and demographic realities. This is deliberate attempt to blackmail Baloch leadership at a time when Baloch are at war with Pakistan’s mighty army and intelligence agencies. Sibi was the capital of Mir Chakar Rind and winter capital of Kalat State, with majority population of Baloch.

Pakistan occupied Balochistan is comprised of 30 district out of which only districts are Pashtun populated whereas 21 belong to Baloch, and still the Pashtuns claim to be in majority of the population of Balochistan.

Each year on 14th of August Balochistan observe the day as Black day, even the Punjabi settlers do not raise Pakistani flags in Balochistan, but the Pashtuns intentionally challenge Baloch and raise Pakistani flags on their homes. Moreover recent statements and the planned attack on Baloch Students in University of Balochistan and Agriculture Collage, shows the real intentions of Pashtuns.

Pashtuns of Balochistan are playing in the hands of Punjabis for protecting their interests and have their shares of the resources of Balochs.

It’s the time for Balochs to realize the evil faces of Pashtuns and that they are not the well-wishers of Balochs, but taking advantage of the situation and exploiting the rights of Baloch people.