Pakistan: The Resurgence of Baluch Nationalism

Publication Date: January 2006

Publisher: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Author(s): Frederic Grare

Research Area: Government; Politics

Type: Report

Coverage: Pakistan

Abstract:

A new conflict is emerging in Baluchistan, a vast yet sparsely populated Pakistani province, straddling three countries: Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. This instability has potential implications for the United States, as it is a launching pad for U.S. military operations against Islamic terrorism.

In a new Carnegie Paper, Pakistan: The Resurgence of Baluch Nationalism, Visiting Scholar Frederic Grare provides insight to the numerous factors that have led to the complex struggle between the Pakistani government and the Baluch population's fight for independence. Were Baluchistan to become independent, Pakistan would lose a major part of its natural resources and Baluchistan would become a new zone of instability in the region.