Insurgency in Balochistan. And why it is of strategic importance

Despite the fact that Balochistan is rich in natural resources, the province is still considered the poorest region in Pakistan. The poor economic, social and political development in Balochistan has increased the sense of grievances among the Baloch people. This had led to increased Baloch nationalism and demands for autonomy or even an independent Balochistan. Consequently Balochistan is witnessing yet another insurgency against the central government in Islamabad. The fifth and current insurgency started in 2004. As with the previous insurgencies, it has also been met by brutal response from the Pakistani Army. The aim of this study is to take a closer look at the most recent insurgency in Balochistan. The main conclusion from the study is that Balochistan will not gain independence from Pakistan. This conclusion is mainly based on the fact that there is limited support for independence among the Pashtun people in the province. They constitute a big part of the population and without their support the likelihood of dependence is weak. There is also limited support to the insurgents from the countries in the region and global powers such as the US. andChina. This means that Balochistan will still remain a province within Pakistan unless there is a major change in the region´s strategic environment or a major internal incident occurs in Pakistan which will destabilize the country.