The eleventh day of August holds a special significance in the Baloch national history. It was on August 11, 1947 when Balochistan attained freedom from British colonial rule. This news was announced from the All India Radio that Balochistan is a free country. This freedom and its announcement came after a long history of struggle and sacrifices, said Khalil Baloch Chairman Baloch National Movement (BNM). From 1839 to 1947, the Baloch nation fought gory wars and sacrificed their lives against British aggression, but they never surrendered to them. That is the primary reason that Balochistan had a unique position in British India and Baloch land was autonomous in several ways.
BNM Chairman Khalil Baloch said that on 4th August 1947, Lord Mountbatten, the viceroy of India signed a treaty with Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Khan of Kalat, Meer Ahmed Yar Khan, which affirmed the freedom of Balochistan.
Later on, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the British government backed from this agreement and started intriguing for the occupation of Balochistan. The illegal accession of Kharan and Las Bela was approved; which historically were integral parts of the state of Kalat. Kharan was under the direct control of the state of Kalat and had the position of a Special Area. In the same way, Mekkuran was also an integral part of the state of Kalat. As for the treaty made between the state of Kalat and British government it was agreed that after the withdrawal of British, these regions including the leased areas would have to be returned to the state of Kalat. But Pakistan disrespected all these treaties along with agreement between Jinnah and the Khan of Kalat and occupied Balochistan. The aggression of Pakistan and the expedience of Khan of Kalat was the prime reason for Pakistani occupation in Balochistan.
Khalil Baloch added that when the issue of accession to Pakistan came under discussion in the Parliament of Balochistan, it was vehemently rejected by both chambers of the Balochistan Parliament, and they decided to fight back any aggression by the state of Pakistan. Kept aside from the armed struggle of Agha Abdul Karim Khan, the rest of the people, later on, could be seen on the floors of Pakistan. If the Baloch leadership had honestly played their due roles, then today, the situation in Balochistan would have been far different.
Historically Balochistan has never been a part of India and the British occupation could also not force Balochistan to be a part of British India, explained Khalil Baloch. However, the partition of India, a great nation, in the name of religion is the greatest mistake in history and today as a result of this partition not only India and Balochistan but also the entire region is suffering.
The western powers needed a client state to keep a check on the powers of the region. For this purpose, they started planning for the creation of Pakistan but on the historical and cultural grounds there was no logic for the creation of a state by cutting India into two halves, therefore for this, they used religion as a tool to further their cherished dreams.
After the creation of Pakistan, millions of people lost their lives in the name of religion and even today Pakistanis are proud of this bloodshed. On the contrary, during the demands being made to create a new state Pakistan let alone one sacrificing lives, no one went even behind the bars. This was simply because the decision was taken from somewhere else and Indian leadership could not timely and effectively respond against this decision. As a result, India was cut into halves. The result of this came in the shape of Pakistan being the center of terrorists, Islamic atomic weapons, the outsourcing of terrorism, and worsening situation in the region.
Chairman Khalil Baloch stated that Baloch, Sindhi, Pashtoons, and other minorities are enduring the outcome of a wrong historical decision. Pakistan is becoming dangerous for the region as well as for the entire world. The regional state and international powers should address this fault line; they should support the Baloch national struggle and take strong initiative for the freedom of Balochistan. Not only the fate of Baloch nation but also the regional peace is associated with the freedom of Balochistan. We have several times reminded that the path of peace and prosperity goes with the freedom of Balochistan.