Balochistan is a tinderbox which has hitherto remained more or less unexposed to geo-political pressures -- either because of Indian docility or because of Pakistan's deft foreign policy or because it was not useful to the West. However, it holds the potential to emerge as a new diplomatic flashpoint involving India, Pakistan and a range of external stakeholders, including Afghanistan, Iran, USA, China, and Russia. The crisis in Balochistan is escalating into a full-fledge “Baloch War of Independence” in Pakistani-occupied Balochistan due to the oppressive policies of the Pakistani militaries dictatorship. The book covers the developments in post colonial Balochistan, its geopolitical significance, and the underlying grievances of the Baloch.

A time will come when children can play in the streets without the fear of being abducted, women in their homes can be sure that their husbands and sons will return, and young women will no longer feel afraid to go to their university or workplace. I hope that dawn will break one day on a free and peaceful land. Balochistan is an account of the trials and tragedies suffered by this region, which has been forcefully annexed to Pakistan against the will of its people. The area is of fundamental strategic and geopolitical importance not only to Islamabad and to the Chinese CPEC project, but also to the numerous players that act as avatars of the powers in the long-running 'Great Game'. What is woefully ignored is that the lives of the locals are under stake. The Baloch people have long been trying to draw international attention to what is happening to them and their homeland. However, the world has turned a blind eye to the ethnic and cultural genocide carried out so far. Starting from the history of Balochistan and the wrongs done to its people, along with detailed interviews with the lead actors in this struggle, acclaimed journalist Francesca Marino attempts to lend a voice to the Baloch people and speak for themselves about one of the most reprehensible and inexplicable silences of our times.

Greater Balochistan region was remotely located far away from Kingdom of the Persia in the west and equally at a distance from Indian princely states in the east. In present time Balochistan, a part of Greater Balochistan is now disputed remote territory, illegally annexed by Pakistan, lies between Sindh province of Pakistan and the western international border of Iran. The whole region was populated most heavily by ethnic Baloch people and thus named this region Balochistan. Geopolitical developments in the area, divided Greater Balochistan into three separate countries. This book is mainly focusing on present Balochistan, the region under the occupation of Pakistan. Book describes the history, culture, and Baloch people’s suffering from the last seven decades pain, atrocity and oppressions that Pakistan has given them to suppress their voice. A voice which wants to save the Baloch culture, people and homeland from Pakistan’s army and its leadership.

Balochistan has been facing innumerable challenges since Pakistan’s independence. Resentment and socio-political turmoil in Baloch society have been feuled by the federation’s denial of Balochistan’s rightful share of resources and funds: a recognition of this injustice by the state has long been needed. Fida Hussain Malik's book is a seminal work providing deep insights into the issues of Balochistan. It will help create a deeper understanding and promote a well-integrated Federation-Province relationship.

Balochistan’s agriculture and related economic development during the last four decades has been driven by an enhancement in canal command areas and widespread use of tubewells. While it enabled yield increases and the growth of high value horticulture, it led to excessive mining of ground water. It is not only threatening sustainable agriculture and livelihoods but also creating severe environmental repercussions. It is generally believed that this unchecked groundwater extraction has been a result of policy regime, such as promoting installation of tubewells through various incentive schemes and tubewells subsidy which allows farmers to pay only 5-10% of the actual cost, and as a result the Federal and provincial governments have been paying PKR 23 billion per year.

This paper documents the different steps followed to construct Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) for Balochistan for the year 2019-20. More precisely, it describes the estimation methods and the nature of the data used in developing the SAM at the subnational level. The Balochistan SAM includes 13 production activities, 4 factors of production, 4 household groups and rest of the world account, assessing linkages between production, factor income distribution, and households’ incomes and expenditures, and capturing distributional effects. The Balochistan SAM reveals that the shares of services and manufacturing sector remains lower than national average and there is an overwhelming contribution of the livestock and horticulture sector in the subnational economy which has the potential in boosting national livestock and horticulture exports. Further, the consumption pattern in Balochistan supports Engle’s law of consumption showing that with an increase in households’ income, the share of expenditure on food decreases and consumption of non-food items increases. This paper is organized as follows. The first section presents an overview of Balochistan province of Pakistan. The second Section highlights the background of Social Accounting Matrix and its key features. The third section review the literature and various efforts made to develop Pakistan SAM with varying features. The fourth section describes the process and the methodology used to develop SAM. The fifth section presents the structure of Balochistan SAM, accounts, and data sources and elaborates the process and techniques used to balance Balochistan SAM. The sixth section highlights the structure of Balochistan’s economy and an evaluation of value addition. The seventh section underscores the key findings of Balochistan SAM. The final section underlines how the SAM Balochistan can contribute to evidence-based policy making that helps in economic growth and reducing poverty in Balochistan.

Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan comprising 44% of the country’s total land mass with a population of 12.34 million (5.9 percent of total population of the country), its southern border of Balochistan makes up two-thirds (770 KM) of the national coastline, giving assess to a large pool of aqua-resources. The province has low population density and provides vast rangeland for goats, sheep, buffaloes, cattle, camels, and other livestock. It is bestowed with natural and locational resources and is the second major supplier of natural gas which supports the country’s industrialization and economic centers. The province also potentially has large deposits of coal, copper, lead, gold, and other minerals. As a frontier province, it is ideally situated for trade with Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Persian Gulf countries, and now with western China through Gwadar Port and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

This book presents a comprehensive analysis of the intricate security situation prevailing in Balochistan. It explores and establishes correlations between the internal structural vulnerabilities and fault lines of the Pakistani state with the external influences exerted on the region. Employing a rigorous examination of both primary and secondary data, the volume critically examines the multifaceted nature of organised violence in Balochistan. In addition to separatist movements, the presence of religious militancy and cross-border terrorism is thoroughly examined. The book delves into the external involvement of regional and global powers in the intricate tapestry of violence within Balochistan, thereby shedding light on the emerging geopolitical landscape and the corresponding power dynamics in the region. It also analyses how the implementation of largescale developmental initiatives, particularly facilitated by China under the auspices of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has elevated the geostrategic significance of Balochistan while simultaneously entangling it in the vortex of regional power politics. This volume will be of interest to scholars and researchers specializing in geopolitics, International Relations, and South Asian studies.

Three thousand years ago, a group of Indo-Iranic tribes (called Balaschik at that time) settled in the northwestern Caspian region of Balashagan. Circumstances forced them to disperse and migrate towards south and eastern parts of Iranian plateau. In medieval times, they finally settled in present Balochistan where they became known as the Baloch. During their long and tortuous journey from Balashagan to Balochistan, the Baloch faced persecutions, deportations, and genocidal acts of various Persian, Arab and other regional powers. During 17th century, after dominating Balochistan culturally and politically, the Baloch carved out a nation state (the Khanate of Kalat). In 1839, the British occupied Balochistan and subsequently it was divided into various parts. In the wake of the British withdrawal from India in 1947, Balochistan regained its sovereignty but soon Pakistan occupied it in 1948. The historical account of the Baloch is the story of a pastoralist nomadic people from ancient times to mid-twentieth century. The author outlines the origin of the Baloch state and its variegated history of survival against powerful neighbors such as the Persians, the British and finally, Pakistan. This fascinating research work discovers the background of the long drawn-out conflict between the Baloch and Pakistan and Iranian states.