By Asif Baloch
On 13 April, 2026, at 5:21 pm, a short video lasting 2 minutes and 22 seconds was released on the official channel of the Baloch armed organisation active in Balochistan, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). In the opening scenes of the video, four armed individuals can be seen standing on the coast alongside an ordinary boat, where they speak about Baloch resistance. The same video clearly shows scenes of an attack on personnel of the Pakistan Coast Guards within maritime boundaries.
Approximately fifty minutes before the release of this video, a written statement had also been issued by the BLA, in which the organisation not only claimed responsibility for an attack on Pakistani naval forces in the Arabian Sea on the morning of 12 April, but also announced the establishment of a new maritime wing. According to the statement, this unit has been named “Hammal Maritime Defence Force”.
It is noteworthy that the BLA has previously formed various units and squads, and has generally named them after its fallen members. For example, the organisation’s prominent fidayeen unit “Majeed Brigade” is named after one of its senior members, Majeed Langove (II), while the “Fateh Squad” was named after a former associate, Fateh Qambarani alias Chairman.
However, on this occasion the organisation has departed from its tradition and adopted a different approach, naming the new unit not after one of its members but after a historical figure. This shift raises several questions: who was “Hammal”, after whom this new unit has been named? And why did the BLA choose this name?
This report attempts to examine these very questions.
Who was Hammal?
Hammal Hoth, known in Balochi folklore as “Hammal Jiand”, was a historical figure belonging to the coastal region of Makran in Balochistan, and is believed to have lived during the sixteenth century. According to the folklore, when Portuguese forces attacked the coastal areas of Balochistan, Hammal led resistance against them. He achieved success in several battles, but was ultimately captured and killed by the Portuguese.
To understand Hammal’s role and the circumstances of that era, it is necessary to consider the broader historical context. Baloch historian Hameed Baloch writes in his book Makran: From Ancient to Modern Times that in the sixteenth century, Portuguese adventurers first reached the coastal town of Pasni in Makran alongside Vasco da Gama, guided by Ahmad bin Majid Najdi. After this initial arrival, Portuguese forces continued to visit the Makran coast and inflicted damage on the region through repeated attacks.
Professor Muhammad Aziz Bugti, explaining the global political context of that period, writes that after the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate, no strong power remained capable of confronting European naval forces. Rulers in the subcontinent also neglected naval strength, as a result of which the Portuguese navy gained dominance over trade routes in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf. Portuguese ships began plundering merchant convoys, and in this context, the coastal regions of Balochistan, particularly Pasni, Gwadar and Jiwani, repeatedly came under attack.
Hameed Baloch recounts an incident in which, upon receiving information about the presence of an Ottoman naval fleet, the Portuguese set out in search of it. After failing to locate it, they arrived at the Makran coast and remained there, during which they looted nearby areas and eventually set the town of Pasni on fire.
Various historical sources provide clear indications of the Portuguese presence in Balochistan’s coastal areas and the local resistance they encountered. The Portuguese historian Manuel de Faria e Sousa writes in his book Portuguese India that in the early sixteenth century, during their maritime voyages to India, the Portuguese captured certain parts of Balochistan’s coastal regions. However, there is no evidence of their advance into the interior of Balochistan. During this period, they faced particularly strong resistance from the Kalmat tribes. According to some local accounts, two ancient cannons still exist near Gwadar and Pasni, which are attributed to this resistance and are believed to have been seized from the Portuguese.
In this regard, Prof. Aziz Bugti writes in his book Balochistan in the Mirror of Personalities (Urdu: Balochistan Shakhsiyaat Key Aaene Mein) that Hammal, the ruler of Kalmat, resolved to defend his region against foreign invaders. He gathered forces and succeeded in pushing Portuguese troops back from the coastal areas. During this time, several clashes took place between Hammal and the Portuguese, after which a treaty was eventually concluded, leading the Portuguese to halt their military operations.
It is during this same period that the figure of Hammal Jiand emerges prominently in Balochi folklore. According to the renowned Baloch leader and historian Mir Gul Khan Naseer, Hammal Jiand was not only a major chieftain of Makran but also a professional maritime trader, travelling from the Makran coast to Zanzibar, Aden and Basra. As Portuguese dominance had been established over these sea routes, and they did not tolerate local forces, particularly those seen as aligned with the Ottoman Empire, clashes between Hammal and the Portuguese became frequent. On several occasions, the Portuguese were forced to retreat.
However, accounts of Hammal’s fate vary slightly across different accounts. According to the well-known Balochi work Miras, on one occasion when Hammal was on a sea voyage, his convoy was struck by a storm. As he approached Oman, the Portuguese surrounded him. When fighting broke out, his companions scattered and Hammal continued to resist alone, but was eventually captured alive.
He was then taken either to Oman or to Goa, as historical accounts differ on this point, where he was killed during captivity.
Folklore also relates that while in captivity, Hammal was offered various concessions in exchange for his life, but he rejected all offers and emerged as a symbol of resistance.
The figure of Hammal Jiand stands at the intersection of history and folklore, representing local resistance against foreign naval powers along the Makran coast.
Why Hammal?
This question repeatedly arises: why did the Baloch Liberation Army choose the name “Hammal” for its new unit? In seeking an answer, when Baloch nationalist circles were consulted, a largely consistent view emerged. “Hammal” is regarded as a historical symbol of resistance, coastal defence and national dignity.
According to nationalist perspectives, the association of the BLA’s new unit, the “Hammal Maritime Defence Force”, with the sea is not coincidental but rather an expression of historical and ideological continuity. Historical narratives suggest that Hammal resisted foreign invaders, particularly the Portuguese, in order to defend the coast of Balochistan. In this context, Baloch resistance circles argue that just as in the past the Baloch coast was subjected to external control and pressure, the situation today is not very different.
In a statement issued by the BLA explaining the choice of this name, the organisation said that the unit had been named after the great Baloch resistance figure Hammal Jiand Baloch. Hammal Jiand Baloch is remembered as a brave son of the land who, in the sixteenth century, laid the foundation of maritime resistance against the most advanced colonial power of his time, the Portuguese, and through his military acumen defeated foreign occupiers. His character is deeply embedded in Baloch national memory as a lasting symbol of honour, courage and maritime defence. He demonstrated that in the face of a well-equipped colonial power, national spirit and guerrilla strategy can prevail. The BLA stated that by choosing this name, it reaffirms its commitment to continue this historical legacy, asserting that just as Hammal Jiand defeated Portuguese expansionist ambitions, the Hammal Maritime Defence Force will expel present-day occupiers from Baloch seas.
On the same question, when a former leader of the BSO-Azad from Karachi was consulted, he stated that Hammal is an important figure in Baloch national history and is regarded as a symbol of resistance and national honour. According to him, in Baloch society Hammal is not merely a historical figure but part of the national consciousness. Baloch mothers recite lullabies associated with Hammal to their children in order to instil a sense of resistance, freedom and national identity in the new generation.
He further added that from childhood, Baloch people are made aware that they are the heirs of Hammal, and that their history is defined by resistance against foreign invaders. This is why even today Hammal’s name is seen as a symbol of pride and struggle within Baloch nationalism.
Prof. Aziz Bugti also concurs with this aspect of Baloch history and nationalism. In his book Balochistan in the Mirror of Personalities, he writes: “At a time when Baloch leadership, particularly Ameer Chakar and Gwahram, were engaged in internal rivalries, using Baloch strength against one another, a young chieftain of the Hoth tribe, Mir Hammal, was engaged in resisting Portuguese invaders along the Makran coast.”
This reference highlights that Mir Hammal is remembered in Baloch history as a prominent symbol of national resistance. It is this historical and symbolic significance that became the primary reason for the BLA’s choice of the name.
The naming of the “Hammal Maritime Defence Force” reflects the perception of Hammal Jiand within Baloch tradition as a symbol of resistance, and in this context the name has been associated with the present maritime wing. This also indicates that the ongoing resistance in Balochistan is not solely military or security-related in nature, but is deeply rooted in historical memory, identity and narrative, where symbols from the past are being reinterpreted to acquire new meanings within the contemporary political context.