Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto: the forgotten villain of Balochistan

The year was 1972. The wounds of Pakistan’s breakup were fresh. For the first time in the history of the country, power was being transferred to provinces after direct elections. It was a new beginning for Pakistan.

The government of National Awami Party (NAP) was in power in Balochistan. After 25 years of struggle, finally the people of Balochistan had got the right to rule their province. Nine months into government, the dream was shattered courtesy Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Unseen and Unheard: Afghan Baloch People Speak Up

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“Against all odds, our national identity is [growing]. We just need the rest of the world to know about us.” — Baloch intellectual and historian Abdul Sattar Purdely

By Karlos Zurutuza

ZARANJ, Afghanistan – Balochistan, divided by the borders of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, is a vast swathe of land the size of France. It boasts enormous deposits of gas, gold and copper, untapped sources of oil and uranium, as well as a thousand kilometres of coastline near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite the wealth under their sandals, the Baloch people inhabit the most underdeveloped regions of their respective countries; Afghanistan is no exception.