On the first May, TBP news desk reported an armed clash in the mountainous region of Kalat. The news read that both sides had suffered causalities. A day later, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) released a statement confirming that the armed clash was between their members and Pakistan’s military forces, the statement further stated that two BLA members Shahdad Baloch and Ehsan Baloch were killed during the hours-long battle.
The organization claimed that both Shahdad and Ehsan had joined them last year. It was later revealed that both the men were holding master’s degrees and one was even enrolled for the MPhil program in a prestigious Pakistani institution called QAU before the universities were closed due to the Pandemic. This came as a surprise for their friends, class fellows, teachers, and the public in general. The Baloch circles were surprised by the level of secrecy both youngsters had maintained for so long that none could predict their membership in an armed pro-independence organization. Their education degrees did not surprise them.
Whereas, the Pakistani public was shocked and irked by the fact that highly educated youth had ended up in an armed organization, which is fighting against Pakistan for the Independence of their region. Their disbelief is based on sheer ignorance regarding the decades-long insurgency in Balochistan. One can argue they are deliberately kept unaware by mass propaganda about what is happening in their backyard.
However, the educated class of Pakistan must know that Shadad and Ehsan were not the first scholarly insurgents. Scores of Baloch political activists and insurgents are highly educated Baloch youth. In fact, at least two of the armed organizations in Balochistan are believed to be led by persons who left their professional life to be the part of the resistance movement, Dr. Allah Nazar, an MBBS doctor, and a gold-medallist, who leads Balochistan liberation Front and Basheer Zeb Baloch who holds a master’s degree and is now the head of Baloch Liberation Army. Interestingly, both were student political activists and have led the largest student organization in Balochistan during different time periods before joining the armed struggle. Contrary to common perception, they are not tribal chiefs but hail from middle-class families
It needs to be understood that Balochistan’s educated youth are not being tricked to leave their homes to fight a war against a powerful army; in fact, they are the ones who started it in the first place.