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Radio War Nerd EP #168 — Balochistan Insurgencies (Patreon)

Published:
2019-02-10 23:59:46
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

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Content

Guest: TheseLongWars, Karachi-based blogger 

Recorded February 7, 2019

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province in terms of area size—and its smallest in terms of population. It's also Pakistan's poorest province, though rich in resources like natural gas—and the Balochi people have long-standing grievances against Pakistan's dominant Punjabis. This translates into no fewer than 5 Balochi insurgencies since Pakistan's independence in 1947. To help us understand Balochistan insurgencies & Pakistan politics, the War Nerd talks to Karachi-based writer "TheseLongWars", who last appeared on RWN #143 to explain the deep history of the rise to power of Imran Khan.

Follow TheseLongWars on Twitter, read his blog 

Maps

*Balochistan: 1 of 4 Pakistan provinces (+ 3 territories)

*Map of Balochi people—strategic proximity to Straits of Hormuz + SE Iran

*Balochistan's 8 Divisions

*British imperial-created Baluchistan Agency, 1877

Total time 2:28:42

Direct link to this episode's mp3 here 

Files

Comments

Isaac Suárez

Fun fact- the Brits tried to export what they did to Balochistan to Iraq. They referred to it as the “Sandeman System”- and it entailed giving communal land rights and the responsibility of tax collection to recognized tribal leaders. The policy was instrumental in the formation of the Iraqi monarchy. The “Sandeman System” by all accounts did not work particularly well. Iraq was a diverse, complex society where tribal organization was extremely variable. In the 1920s there was widespread multi confessional resistance to the Brits- the “thawra” (which at least one Iraqi insurgent group took their name from- the 1920 Revolutionary Birgade.) The conflicts it engendered led the Brits to pioneer “aerial policing” (ie bombing villages and communities that failed to pay taxes, respect recognized tribal leaders, or harbor criminals.) The relatively small group of large landholders- the tribal leaders who benefited from the British system of land tenure- became the backbone of the Hashemite monarchy- and the “Republican” nationalists of Iraq mobilized in part against them.

wendy johnson

AWESOME! I can't wait to listen!

Nick

On the topic of neocon Hezbollah/Iranian conspiracies in South America and Argentina especially, you really should do an episode on the AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires in 1994. It’s a mind blowing story, and has long been used as a bloody shirt to wave by Iran hawks. Gareth Porter wrote a great article for the Nation on the subject that is really worth reading. To top it all off, a government prosecutor investigating the bombing was murdered, which became a huge political issue in Argentina. Even if you don’t do an episode on it, it makes for good reading, and I’m sure would be quite the conversation starter while John’s in BA.

Patrick Cleary

I've read "Manhunt" by Peter Maas, on the Edwin Wilson story. Pretty gripping tale of a man with no morals, extreme greed, and the chutzpah to pull off his schemes. John often brings up how the Cold War was a huge money-making opportunity. None exploited that potential more than Wilson. He had a humongous estate in Virginia, and everyone just looked the other way, or enjoyed his largess, until his downfall.

David Manson

This beautifully produced interview by the fairly left liberal podcaster Christopher Lydon of Pakistani travel writer Salman Rashid was my introduction to the Baloch people, and to much of nearby Pakistani culture. Bonus points for the music of composer Sohail Rana. <a href="http://radioopensource.org/salman-rashid-a-pakistani-travelogue-with-tears/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://radioopensource.org/salman-rashid-a-pakistani-travelogue-with-tears/</a>

Rob S

Asharq al-Awsat is one of the two major London based Arabic language papers owned by the Saudi royal family. Is this the one that was being referred to at 12 mins? If so, I would definitely not give it the benefit of the doubt when it comes to objective reporting on matters concerning Hezbollah.

Marekedo (edited)

Comment edits

2026-09-07 15:00 One of my favorite guests. Thank you for covering this topic.
2019-02-23 20:33

David G. Nye

This guy seems to be the journo who's done the most work on the case and should probably be the first port of call, though no idea whether he speaks English. <a href="https://twitter.com/juanjosesalinas" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/juanjosesalinas</a> <a href="http://pajarorojo.com.ar/?page_id=2" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://pajarorojo.com.ar/?page_id=2</a> You might find you don't like where his investigation goes, however.