PUKHTOONS

Balochistan is one of the four provinces of Pakistan.^[1] It was conquered by the British Empire on October 1, 1887^[2] and became part of British India. In 1947, when Pakistan became independent, most of Balochistan became a province of Pakistan, the following year the princely state of Kalat was annexed to Pakistan. Since then, a number of separatist groups in the province have engaged in an armed struggle against the Pakistani government, the first was led by Prince Karim Khan in 1948, and later by Nawab Nowroz Khan in 1968. These tribal uprisings were limited in scope, a more serious insurgency was led by the Marri and Mengal tribes between 1973 and 1977. All these groups fought for the existence of a "Greater Balochistan" — a single independent state ruled under tribal jirgas (a tribal system of government) and comprising the historical Balochistan region, presently split between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2005 there was another struggle to achieve these aims, in 2006, the Pakistan army killed Nawab Akbar Bugti^[3], the man they blamed for the violence.^[4]. Bugti may be a proclaimed offender for Pakistan's military-led ruling establishment but he has become a hero for his own people.^[5]