Balochistan as the Achilles Heel of Pakistani Nationalism

When it comes to Pakistan's official nationalism, the restive province of Balochistan is a square peg in a round hole. Eight decades down the line, Pakistan has not been able to pacify, let alone subsume the Baloch nation into a hegemonic nation-state project. The conflagration in Balochistan can be arguably attributed to at least two basic factors. Firstly, the effort to conceive a nation on a confessional basis has entailed an insufficiently imagined community. Such an imagination failed in 1971 and remains unsuccessful in Balochistan. Secondly, the Garrison character of the Pakistani state, whereby the Punjab province dominates the federation, continues breeding unrest. Meantime, the Baloch have militantly resisted, first by demanding autonomy and later, at least a considerable section of the Baloch nationalist movement, secession.