The Mystery Behind Balochistan

July 26, 2009

By :Sandeep Bansal

I am pretty sure that except for a few inquisitive people, not many Indians would have ever heard about Balochistan before the brouhaha over the joint declaration between India and Pakistan in Egypt recently.

Balochistan, an immense desert comprising almost 48% of Pakistan’s area, rich in uranium and copper, potentially very rich in oil, and producing more than one-third of Pakistan’s natural gas, accounts for less than 4% of Pakistan’s 173 million citizens. Strategically, Balochistan is mouth-watering: east of Iran, south of Afghanistan, and boasting three Arabian sea ports, including Gwadar, practically at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. (Source). Balochis are largely tribal and consider themselves much closer to the Afghans than the rest of Pakistanis.

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