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The Diplomat
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Anatomy of an Insurgency: Balochistan's Crisis and Pakistan's Failures
Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province, comprising 44 percent of the country's territory, yet it has a relatively small population of approximately 14.8 million. Of this population, only 5.9 million are ethnic Baloch, with Pashtuns forming the other significant demographic group. The province has been engulfed in an insurgency since 2006, but the conflict has recently undergone a dramatic transformation. What began as a tribal resistance movement has evolved into a formidable insurgency with separatist ambitions, complemented by a broader peaceful political movement. Recent escalations demonstrate both the insurgents' growing operational capabilities and the Pakistani state's persistent reliance on heavy-handed military responses that continue to alienate Baloch society. Federal Overreach: The Catalyst for Modern Insurgency The roots of contemporary unrest, according to Baloch nationalists, trace back to Pakistan's founding when in 1948 the State of Kalat was forcibly incorporated into the federation despite local resistance. However, the current insurgency was catalyzed by then-President General Pervez Musharraf's unilateral decision to construct Gwadar Port, bypassing constitutional structures including the National Assembly, Council of Common Interest, and the Balochistan Provincial government. This decision came despite ongoing negotiations through a Senate Committee led by Senator Mushahid Hussain, then the secretary general of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Q), that had nearly achieved consensus. Akbar Bugti – a veteran political leader and Tumandar of the Bugti tribe who had served as chief minister, governor, and federal minister of state – had opposed the Gwadar project due to concerns about demographic changes from nationwide migration and the lack of guarantees that locals would benefit from development. Musharraf's handling of political disagreements with Baloch leaders was marked by intimidation, and when security forces initiated operations against protests surrounding the port's construction, Bugti and his supporters retreated to the mountains where military forces killed him in August 2006. Bugti's death transformed him from a collaborator with Islamabad into a nationalist hero, reinvigorating independence demands that had largely lain dormant since General Zia-ul-Haq's rapprochement with Baloch dissidents in the 1980s. Bugti's death became a rallying point for the insurgency. The August 2024 surge in insurgent violence coincided with his death anniversary, demonstrating the enduring symbolic power of the event. It is critical to understand that Balochistan is treated by the center as a repository of resources. The federal government has frequently disregarded constitutional and legal norms to impose its will, through presidential decrees in the case of Gwadar Port or the current use of the Special Investment Facility for granting mining concessions in Reko Diq and elsewhere in Balochistan. This pattern remains consistent across administrations. The province has been subjected to resource extraction, yet locals and the provincial government receive minimal benefits or returns, despite the fact that mining and energy extraction is constitutionally designated as a provincial and not a federal subject. Consequently, Baloch insurgents view Chinese and other foreign investors as co-conspirators in the plunder of the province's resources.
Malay Mail
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Homeland insecurity: Expelled Afghans risk reentry to Pakistan to escape Taliban rule
PESHAWAR (Pakistan), June 19 — Pakistan says it has expelled more than a million Afghans in the past two years, yet many have quickly attempted to return — preferring to take their chances dodging the law than struggle for existence in a homeland some had never even seen before. 'Going back there would be sentencing my family to death,' said Hayatullah, a 46-year-old Afghan deported via the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in early 2024. Since April and a renewed deportation drive, some 200,000 Afghans have spilled over the two main border crossings from Pakistan, entering on trucks loaded with hastily packed belongings. But they carry little hope of starting over in the impoverished country, where girls are banned from school after primary level. Hayatullah, a pseudonym, returned to Pakistan a month after being deported, travelling around 800 kilometres south to the Chaman border crossing in Balochistan, because for him, life in Afghanistan 'had come to a standstill'. He paid a bribe to cross the Chaman frontier, 'like all the day labourers who regularly travel across the border to work on the other side'. His wife and three children — including daughters, aged 16 and 18, who would be denied education in Afghanistan — had managed to avoid arrest and deportation. Relative security Hayatullah moved the family to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a region mostly populated by Pashtuns — the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. 'Compared to Islamabad, the police here don't harass us as much,' he said. The only province governed by the opposition party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan — who is now in prison and in open conflict with the federal government — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is considered a refuge of relative security for Afghans. Samad Khan, a 38-year-old Afghan who also spoke using a pseudonym, also chose to relocate his family to Peshawar. Born in eastern Pakistan's Lahore city, he set foot in Afghanistan for the first time on April 22 — the day he was deported. 'We have no relatives in Afghanistan, and there's no sign of life. There's no work, no income, and the Taliban are extremely strict,' he said. At first, he tried to find work in a country where 85 per cent of the population lives on less than one dollar a day, but after a few weeks he instead found a way back to Pakistan. 'I paid 50,000 rupees (around RM767) to an Afghan truck driver,' he said, using one of his Pakistani employees' ID cards to cross the border. He rushed back to Lahore to bundle his belongings and wife and two children — who had been left behind — into a vehicle, and moved to Peshawar. 'I started a second-hand shoe business with the support of a friend. The police here don't harass us like they do in Lahore, and the overall environment is much better,' he told AFP. Afghan refugees wait in a queue at a registration centre, after arriving from Pakistan, in Takhta Pul district of Kandahar province on April 13, 2025. It's hard to say how many Afghans have returned to Pakistan, as data is scarce. — AFP pic 'Challenging' reintegration It's hard to say how many Afghans have returned, as data is scarce. Government sources, eager to blame the country's problems on supporters Khan, claim that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are already back and settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — figures that cannot be independently verified. Migrant rights defenders in Pakistan say they've heard of such returns, but insist the numbers are limited. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) told AFP that 'some Afghans who were returned have subsequently chosen to remigrate to Pakistan'. 'When individuals return to areas with limited access to basic services and livelihood opportunities, reintegration can be challenging,' said Avand Azeez Agha, communications officer for the UN agency in Kabul. They might move on again, he said, 'as people seek sustainable opportunities'. — AFP
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Homeland insecurity: Expelled Afghans seek swift return to Pakistan
PESHAWAR: Pakistan says it has expelled more than a million Afghans in the past two years, yet many have quickly attempted to return -- preferring to take their chances dodging the law than struggle for existence in a homeland some had never even seen before. 'Going back there would be sentencing my family to death,' said Hayatullah, a 46-year-old Afghan deported via the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in early 2024. Since April and a renewed deportation drive, some 200,000 Afghans have spilled over the two main border crossings from Pakistan, entering on trucks loaded with hastily packed belongings. But they carry little hope of starting over in the impoverished country, where girls are banned from school after primary level. Hayatullah, a pseudonym, returned to Pakistan a month after being deported, travelling around 800 kilometres (500 miles) south to the Chaman border crossing in Balochistan, because for him, life in Afghanistan 'had come to a standstill'. He paid a bribe to cross the Chaman frontier, 'like all the day labourers who regularly travel across the border to work on the other side'. His wife and three children -- including daughters, aged 16 and 18, who would be denied education in Afghanistan -- had managed to avoid arrest and deportation. Relative security Hayatullah moved the family to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a region mostly populated by Pashtuns -- the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. 'Compared to Islamabad, the police here don't harass us as much,' he said. The only province governed by the opposition party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan -- who is now in prison and in open conflict with the federal government -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is considered a refuge of relative security for Afghans. Samad Khan, a 38-year-old Afghan who also spoke using a pseudonym, also chose to relocate his family to Peshawar. Born in eastern Pakistan's Lahore city, he set foot in Afghanistan for the first time on April 22 -- the day he was deported. 'We have no relatives in Afghanistan, and there's no sign of life. There's no work, no income, and the Taliban are extremely strict,' he said. At first, he tried to find work in a country where 85 percent of the population lives on less than one dollar a day, but after a few weeks he instead found a way back to Pakistan. 'I paid 50,000 rupees (around $180) to an Afghan truck driver,' he said, using one of his Pakistani employees' ID cards to cross the border. He rushed back to Lahore to bundle his belongings and wife and two children -- who had been left behind -- into a vehicle, and moved to Peshawar. 'I started a second-hand shoe business with the support of a friend. The police here don't harass us like they do in Lahore, and the overall environment is much better,' he told AFP. 'Challenging' reintegration It's hard to say how many Afghans have returned, as data is scarce. Government sources, eager to blame the country's problems on supporters of Khan, claim that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are already back and settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- figures that cannot be independently verified. Migrant rights defenders in Pakistan say they've heard of such returns, but insist the numbers are limited. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) told AFP that 'some Afghans who were returned have subsequently chosen to remigrate to Pakistan'. 'When individuals return to areas with limited access to basic services and livelihood opportunities, reintegration can be challenging,' said Avand Azeez Agha, communications officer for the UN agency in Kabul. They might move on again, he said, 'as people seek sustainable opportunities'.
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Expelled Afghans seek swift return to Pakistan
PESHAWAR: Pakistan says it has expelled more than a million Afghans in the past two years, yet many have quickly attempted to return -- preferring to take their chances dodging the law than struggle for existence in a homeland some had never even seen before. 'Going back there would be sentencing my family to death,' said Hayatullah, a 46-year-old Afghan deported via the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in early 2024. Since April and a renewed deportation drive, some 200,000 Afghans have spilled over the two main border crossings from Pakistan, entering on trucks loaded with hastily packed belongings. But they carry little hope of starting over in the impoverished country, where girls are banned from school after primary level. Hayatullah, a pseudonym, returned to Pakistan a month after being deported, travelling around 800 kilometres (500 miles) south to the Chaman border crossing in Balochistan, because for him, life in Afghanistan 'had come to a standstill'. He paid a bribe to cross the Chaman frontier, 'like all the day labourers who regularly travel across the border to work on the other side'. His wife and three children -- including daughters, aged 16 and 18, who would be denied education in Afghanistan -- had managed to avoid arrest and deportation. Relative security Hayatullah moved the family to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a region mostly populated by Pashtuns -- the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. 'Compared to Islamabad, the police here don't harass us as much,' he said. The only province governed by the opposition party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan -- who is now in prison and in open conflict with the federal government -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is considered a refuge of relative security for Afghans. Samad Khan, a 38-year-old Afghan who also spoke using a pseudonym, also chose to relocate his family to Peshawar. Born in eastern Pakistan's Lahore city, he set foot in Afghanistan for the first time on April 22 -- the day he was deported. 'We have no relatives in Afghanistan, and there's no sign of life. There's no work, no income, and the Taliban are extremely strict,' he said. At first, he tried to find work in a country where 85 percent of the population lives on less than one dollar a day, but after a few weeks he instead found a way back to Pakistan. 'I paid 50,000 rupees (around $180) to an Afghan truck driver,' he said, using one of his Pakistani employees' ID cards to cross the border. He rushed back to Lahore to bundle his belongings and wife and two children -- who had been left behind -- into a vehicle, and moved to Peshawar. 'I started a second-hand shoe business with the support of a friend. The police here don't harass us like they do in Lahore, and the overall environment is much better,' he told AFP. 'Challenging' reintegration It's hard to say how many Afghans have returned, as data is scarce. Government sources, eager to blame the country's problems on supporters of Khan, claim that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are already back and settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- figures that cannot be independently verified. Migrant rights defenders in Pakistan say they've heard of such returns, but insist the numbers are limited. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) told AFP that 'some Afghans who were returned have subsequently chosen to remigrate to Pakistan'. 'When individuals return to areas with limited access to basic services and livelihood opportunities, reintegration can be challenging,' said Avand Azeez Agha, communications officer for the UN agency in Kabul. They might move on again, he said, 'as people seek sustainable opportunities'.
Arab News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Homeland insecurity: Expelled Afghans seek swift return to Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Pakistan says it has expelled more than a million Afghans in the past two years, yet many have quickly attempted to return — preferring to take their chances dodging the law than struggle for existence in a homeland some had never even seen before. 'Going back there would be sentencing my family to death,' said Hayatullah, a 46-year-old Afghan deported via the Torkham border crossing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in early 2024. Since April and a renewed deportation drive, some 200,000 Afghans have spilled over the two main border crossings from Pakistan, entering on trucks loaded with hastily packed belongings. But they carry little hope of starting over in the impoverished country, where girls are banned from school after primary level. Hayatullah, a pseudonym, returned to Pakistan a month after being deported, traveling around 800 kilometers (500 miles) south to the Chaman border crossing in Balochistan, because for him, life in Afghanistan 'had come to a standstill.' He paid a bribe to cross the Chaman frontier, 'like all the day laborers who regularly travel across the border to work on the other side.' His wife and three children — including daughters, aged 16 and 18, who would be denied education in Afghanistan — had managed to avoid arrest and deportation. Hayatullah moved the family to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and a region mostly populated by Pashtuns — the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. 'Compared to Islamabad, the police here don't harass us as much,' he said. The only province governed by the opposition party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan — who is now in prison and in open conflict with the federal government — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is considered a refuge of relative security for Afghans. Samad Khan, a 38-year-old Afghan who also spoke using a pseudonym, also chose to relocate his family to Peshawar. Born in eastern Pakistan's Lahore city, he set foot in Afghanistan for the first time on April 22 — the day he was deported. 'We have no relatives in Afghanistan, and there's no sign of life. There's no work, no income, and the Taliban are extremely strict,' he said. At first, he tried to find work in a country where 85 percent of the population lives on less than one dollar a day, but after a few weeks he instead found a way back to Pakistan. 'I paid 50,000 rupees (around $180) to an Afghan truck driver,' he said, using one of his Pakistani employees' ID cards to cross the border. He rushed back to Lahore to bundle his belongings and wife and two children — who had been left behind — into a vehicle, and moved to Peshawar. 'I started a second-hand shoe business with the support of a friend. The police here don't harass us like they do in Lahore, and the overall environment is much better,' he told AFP. It's hard to say how many Afghans have returned, as data is scarce. Government sources, eager to blame the country's problems on supporters of Khan, claim that hundreds of thousands of Afghans are already back and settled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — figures that cannot be independently verified. Migrant rights defenders in Pakistan say they've heard of such returns, but insist the numbers are limited. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) told AFP that 'some Afghans who were returned have subsequently chosen to remigrate to Pakistan.' 'When individuals return to areas with limited access to basic services and livelihood opportunities, reintegration can be challenging,' said Avand Azeez Agha, communications officer for the UN agency in Kabul. They might move on again, he said, 'as people seek sustainable opportunities.'
