Baloch Insurgency and Challenges to the Islamic Republic of Iran

AHMAD REZA TAHERI

Number 4, April 2012

Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict fostering ideas, research and dialogue… SSPC ISSUE BRIEF About the Author

AHMAD REZA TAHERI Ahmad Reza Taheri is presently working as Assistant Professor at the Vellayat University in Iran. He also holds the position of the Director General at the Daneshyaran of Humanities Co., a research & educational company in Iran. He teaches political science and international security, at various univer- sities in the Iranian Balochestan. He may be contacted at [email protected]

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AHMAD REZA TAHERI

The present paper deals with several issues. In A profile of Baloch insurgency the first section, a short introduction of Baloch Since 1928, the year when modern government insurgency shall be presented. The second one established in Balochestan, two highly orga- deals briefly with the goals of insurgency. The nized political movements have emerged in the third part describes the measures taken by the country. The first was developed before the Is- Islamic Republic against the Baloch insurgency. lamic Republic. It was called the Balochestan And, in the fourth section, the focus will be Liberation Front (1964-1979) which rose shifted on the Baloch insurgency's response to against the central government of Mohammad the central government's measures. The fifth Reza Shah Pahlavi.1 The second one which is section gives an analysis of the roots and causes the theme of the paper emerged under the Is- of Baloch insurgency. And, the sixth section lamic Republic of Iran. Although there have which is the concluding part deals with a num- been a number of major Baloch insurgencies ber of suggestions to challenge the problem. since the 1979 revo- A well organized lution in Iran, most ethno-religious insur- Introduction of them have been gency, carrying politi- Balochestan, officially known as the province non-political in na- cal motives has ap- of Sistan and Balochestan, is one of the thirty ture. For example, peared for the first provinces of Iran. It is in the southeast of the throughout the years time in 2004 in the country, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan. notorious Baloch history of the Islamic The province is the largest in Iran; it consists smugglers have been state, to challenge the of over 11 per cent of the total area of the fighting against the authority of the gov- country with an area of 181,785 km. The prov- forces of the Islamic ernment in ince comprises two sections, Sistan in the north Republic in Balochestan. and Balochestan in the south. In the south, east Balochestan. How- and west of Sistan and Balochestan, the in- ever, a well organized ethno-religious insur- habitants are mostly Baloch and speak Balochi. gency, carrying political motives has appeared Balochestan today is the most underdeveloped for the first time in 2004 in the history of the and poorest of Iran's regions, though govern- Islamic state, to challenge the authority of the ment of the Islamic Republic has been trying government in Balochestan. to reverse this situation by implementing new plans, such as the creation of the Chabahar free Goals of Baloch insurgency trade zone. Balochestan is mainly home to the In 2004, a rebellious Baloch group called Baloch Sunnis of Iran; they make up about 3 Jundollah emerged and made its appearance in to 4 million of the population. The society is Balochestan of Iran. Jundallah is an insurgent known to be a Mullah dominated region. Mod- Sunni Islamic organization based in the entire ern politics, in fact, in this part of the country Balochestan irrespective of its political bound- is a recent phenomenon; it is barely half a cen- aries; its members are spread in the Baloch tury old. populated regions of Afghanistan, in Iranian Balochestan, and in the Pakistani Balochestan. The group claims to be fighting for the rights SSPC ISSUE BRIEF of the Sunni Muslim in Iran. It is believed to tively non-violent methods. The intention per- have hundreds of professional fighters and haps was to win over the Baloch masses by sta- claims to have killed more than 500 Iranian bilizing the Jundollah's popular bases in soldiers.2 The group has been identified as a Balochestan. However, the attempt failed, terrorist organization by the Islamic Republic. Jundollah cannot be regarded as a non-violent Iranian authorities believe that it is linked to organization. In a number of his interviews with the Al-Qaeda. But, Jundollah adamantly denies the media, such as the Voice of America, Rigi any connections to the Al-Qaeda or the Taliban. (the former leader of the organization) con- Yet, a number of independent sources have stantly had asked the Baloch and other Irani- substantiated the American support to ans to join his organization against the Islamic Jundollah. The group was allegedly headed by Republic; saying that he would resist and would Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (originally a Baloch) try his best to overthrow the government. the Al-Qaeda's operational commander of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US, who Immediately after each attack against the forces was arrested in Pakistan in 2003. Abdol Malek of the Islamic Republic, the leaders of the or- Rigi, the leader of the organization was also ganization give a brief about the attacks in their arrested and reportedly executed in Tehran in interviews with the Iranian and international 2010. media. In one of his interviews, Rigi had claimed that "he has formed a people move- Jundollah was renamed as the 'People's Resis- ment and that he does not attack the civilians; tance Movement of Iran soon after its estab- rather his targets are the Iranian security and lishment. After this nominal change, for a while, intelligence personnel and also whoever coop- member insurgents adopted a relatively non- erates with the security agencies, including the violent approach. For instance, earlier they used Baloch." In his interviews, Rigi had also to follow the Taliban tactics. In this regard, in claimed that his organization "does not have 2006, a CD was distributed by Jundollah in any foreign support; rather it is the Baloch who which a member of the group beheads a man. finance him." However, the Iranian government The scene of the beheading had a very bad rejects this and holds that Jundollah belongs to impression in the country, causing a strong feel- the US. Iran accuses the United States of back- ing of dislike and disapproval of the act. Also, ing Jundollah, possibly from the Pakistani terri- earlier, Jundollah's focus was on Iranian Baloch tory with Islamabad's support, though Pakistani rights only. But, after the adoption of the new officials strongly deny this. Some Baloch elites, name 'People Resistance Movement of Iran,' like a number of leading Sunni clerics, hold a Jundollah relatively changed its methods. For different view, believing that the emergence of example, it stopped the beheading practice and groups like Jundollah is the result of the unde- the focus shifted towards Iranian rights as a sirable policies in Balochestan. In cases, ac- whole including those of both the Shias and cording to them, government forces had the Sunnis. Behind this development that soft- stopped and shot innocent Baloch without any ened the behaviour of Jundollah lies a reason. legal instruction. As a matter of fact, such in- The group gradually began to establish some cidents in Balochestan can be responsible for connections with the Iranian exiles in Europe the emergence of insurgency.3 and America. There is a strong possibility that the opposition based in London have caused Jundollah to soften its approach by applying rela- www.sspconline.org 4 SSPC ISSUE BRIEF

Measures taken by the Islamic Re- a large number of Baloch gathered to denounce public against Baloch Insurgency the state's bombardment of some villages in As a result of Jundollah's calculated attacks on Balochestan.5 In addition, Jundollah reacted Iranian security forces in Balochestan, the Is- more violently by adopting new methods such lamic Republic has taken some severe measures as suicide bombings. In fact, suicide attacks against Jundollah or whoever holds any associa- have not been common in Iran; it is since 2009 tion with the organization. In this respect, gov- that Baloch insurgents have been using this ernment has launched a series of campaigns method in Balochestan. They have targeted against the rebellion, using its strong arm meth- two Shia mosques in Zahedan in 2009 and 2010 ods, which include assassination, arrest, tor- where hundreds of people including children ture, and execution, in order to put down any were killed. real or potential resistance to the establishment. Many Baloch insurgents have Roots of Baloch Insur- As a reaction, been arrested and executed by gency in Iran however, the Baloch the regime. Mostly, measures Several issues are responsible rebellious groups such have been of a military nature for the emergence of Baloch as Jundollah have and not diplomatic ones. One insurgency in Iran. The engaged themselves of the most important recent politicization of Islam resulted in armed resistance achievements was the arrest in ideological differences be- against the Iranian and execution of the two lead- tween the Shias and Sunnis. government, killing ing members, Abdol Malek Rigi The development, in turn, has the forces on the and Abdol Hamid Rigi. had an impact on other issues grounds of defending such as lack of equal treatment Reaction to the Islamic and revenging the in employment. This has wid- Republic's military rights of the innocent ened the gap of national unity. measures Baloch. Although government has tried As a reaction, however, the Baloch rebellious to fight the problem, methods of fighting the groups such as Jundollah have engaged them- problem has not been appropriately carried out. selves in armed resistance against the Iranian For example, Iran's assimilation policy has failed government, killing the forces on the grounds to make Iran a strong nation. Rather it has of defending and revenging the rights of the pushed the Baloch in the margins. The circum- innocent Baloch. On the other hand, a number stances have led many Baloch to opt for a de- of Baloch political activists in exile had started centralized Iran, as well as, caused a few to their fight with the regime by publishing articles consider the theory of an independent against the policies of the Islamic Republic in Balochestan. These, however, are explained Balochestan.4 In their various reports, they have further in the following paragraphs. tried to project the Baloch victims as innocent Politicization of Islam: The politicization of people. Besides, in order to highlight the crisis, Islam is deeply rooted in Iranian society espe- a number of foreign-based Baloch political cially since the Islamic revolution of 1979. The groups began to organize demonstrations in Islamic symbols, slogans, ideology, and organi- different cities of Europe. For instance, a dem- zations are the prominent features of Iranian onstration held on May 21, 2006 outside the politics. Islam remains a major political force British Prime Minister's house in London, where both in state politics and in Baloch society. In

www.sspconline.org 5 SSPC ISSUE BRIEF state politics, Shia Islam has dominated the ship and presidency is the presence of the ideo- socio-political organization of the country. logical differences between the two groups. It Similarly, in the Baloch society, Sunni Islam has is clearly mentioned in Article 115 of the Con- overshadowed the culture. As a result of this stitution, where it explains the essential char- development, a number of ideological differ- acteristics and qualifications of the presiden- ences emerged between the Shias and Sunnis; tial candidate. at times they attack the religious beliefs of each other. National unity and Islamic integrity: To a large extent, the policies of the central govern- Demands of the Baloch: A history of thirty- ment have failed to bridge the gap of ideologi- two years (1979-2011) indicates that some cal differences between the Sunnis and the major demands of Baloch, as Shias. The Islamic Republic's expected by them, have not In state politics, Shia supreme authorities are fully been satisfactorily fulfilled by Islam has dominated aware of this phenomenon that the central government of Iran. the socio-political is why after 28 years in 2007 on For example, one of the current organization of the the first day of Noroz, the leader demands of the Baloch is to country. Similarly, in in a televised message addressed allow them to have a key role the Baloch society, the Iranian nation and marked in the administration of Sunni Islam has over- the year 2007 as a year of "na- Balochestan. Another recent shadowed the culture. tional unity and Islamic integ- demand by the Baloch from the rity." The issue of national unity central government is to allow them to partici- and Islamic integrity, however, cannot be de- pate in the central administration, demanding veloped without carefully calculated mutual co- the presence of at least one Baloch minister in operation. Majority of Baloch clerics are the central cabinet. Freedom of religion has Deobandian, whereas the ruling Shias in Iran been a core demand. Sunni clerics have been belong to the Shia Jafari Athna Ashari sect of demanding for more religious maneuvers. Re- Islam. In any event, between Deobandian and cently, some Baloch, particularly the Sunni cler- Shiaism there are fundamental differences of ics, have asked the government to allow them opinion. to build a mosque for the Sunnis in non-Sunni populated provinces of Iran, especially in Iran's mono-ethnic approach: The different Tehran. The demand has not been granted so central governments of Iran have pursued a far. Mainly because the issue is considered to policy of assimilation and the same is true with be a politically motivated matter and not a re- the current government. In Iran, Baloch cul- ligious one; this can damage the religious in- ture and language is relegated to their homes tegrity, as also the hold of the establishment.6 and cannot be used for other than local pur- The Baloch, particularly those who are in exile poses. Iranian history is being taught from the have projected the Islamic Republic as a state perspective of Iranian nationalism and Islamic which backs "discrimination between Sunni teachings; therefore, majority of Baloch, includ- and Shia." Many Baloch are of the opinion that ing the students, are unaware of their history. discrimination in employment exists in the na- Thus, the state emphasizes the nationalization ture of the Islamic government. In any case, of the entire Iranian society and the Islamiza- the major reason for discrimination between tion of the culture. The result of these poli- Sunni and Shia in high offices such as leader- cies, however, is not the establishment of a www.sspconline.org 6 SSPC ISSUE BRIEF strong nation-state. The different Iranian the state religion and Farsi as the only official groups such as the Kurds, Arabs, and Baloch language, Molavi Abdol Aziz (former religious occasionally react to the assimilation process. leader of the Iranian Baloch) expressed his op- The way the Baloch students enthusiastically position in the following way, "We are not se- celebrate their own graduation parties every cessionist. And, it is not in our interest to be year can be taken as a prime example. Besides, independent in all fields. Our goal is to see that resistance to the central government's assimi- Baloch make their own decisions in cultural and lation policy assumed a violent proportion es- political fields, instead of being forced to ac- pecially when it became evident for the Baloch cept decisions made in Tehran. We want to that they do not get fair and equal treatment. choose our own governor general, governors, Military clashes between the Iranian Baloch and administrators (although not military offi- Jundollah and the Islamic Republic, can be re- cials). That is what the Baloch mean by au- ferred to as a notable example. A majority of Baloch tonomy."7 In similar situations However, the process of assimi- are traditional, reli- the same presentations have lation of the Baloch by the state gious-minded people been aired by different Baloch administration has not been al- who cannot stand on elites of the society. More im- ways against their interest, their own feet in the portant, however, are the words rather they have benefited too. competitive world of Abdol Malik Rigi (former For example, in comparison without foreign sup- leader of Baloch insurgency) with the Baloch of Afghanistan port. In addition to once the most wanted man in or the Baloch of Pakistan, Ira- these factors, majority Iran. In his different interviews nian Baloch of Iran have a far of the foreign-based Rigi had declared himself as an better view on societal values Baloch who are in Iranian and Iran as his home; he such as the role of female gen- Europe or North had denied harbouring separat- der. The Baloch women of Iran America, prefer a ist aspirations. 8 Despite that, particularly the educated ones, federal Iran rather however, due to number of rea- have more freedom in eco- than an independent sons secessionism may not ben- nomic, social, and political Balochestan. efit the Baloch. Firstly, the en- spheres. These changes though tire Baloch population is around are not up to the standard expectations, has 3 per cent in Iran and that Balochestan is the resulted from the influence of Persian culture. poorest region of the country. Secondly, the The limited role of Iranian Baloch women par- number of educated Baloch is insignificant and ticipation in the society is evident especially in the majority of Baloch are not politically ma- the third decade of the Islamic Republic. ture. Thirdly, a majority of Baloch are traditional, religious-minded people who cannot Autonomy or Independence: One cannot stand on their own feet in the competitive world easily assess the exact nature of the political without foreign support. In addition to these inclination of Iranian Baloch, simply because factors, majority of the foreign-based Baloch many of them may hide their real motives or who are in Europe or North America, prefer a emotions, due to security reasons. However, a federal Iran rather than an independent generalization can shed some lights on Baloch Balochestan. political inclination. In the early months of the Islamic revolution, for example, when the Is- lamic Constitution recognized only Shiaism as

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Challenging the Problem peacefully and diplomatically especially when In order to minimize the gap between the state it highly believes in the intellectual power of administration and the Baloch there are a num- its supreme leadership. As stipulated in Article ber of suggestions which, shall be dealt with 109 of the Constitution, supreme leader must under the following sections. In this regard, possess a proper political and social insight and there are two different aspects, the Baloch ap- power of administration to lead the country. In proach and the state approach. other words, the belief is that the most qualified man in Iran can lead the Islamic Republic. Baloch approach: Baloch are living in a sov- As far as the case with Baloch is concerned, ereign state under the umbrella of the Islamic the Islamic Republic requires more flexibility. Republic, which like any other state, holds its It does not need to introduce new laws or by- respective legal framework. Its Constitution is pass the Constitution; rather to serve the pur- based on the Shia Islamic ideology, which may pose it has to cash in on the flexibility of its not satisfy the international requirements set Constitution. Thus, within the existing legal up by the liberal democracies of the West. As framework it can practice the following. a result, Islamic Republic may consider many of the issues, which are not being favoured by First, the Islamic Republic under its Constitu- the state, expediential. Secondly, since tion can encourage political and cultural devel- Balochestan is part of the country the admin- opments in the Sunni-dominated regions such istration of the entire region cannot fall only as Balochestan. In this respect, Article 19 of into the hands of the Baloch alone; the Baloch the Constitution states, "The people of Iran, should lower their expectations. Thirdly, for the of whatever tribe and clan, shall enjoy equal Baloch, the first and foremost necessity is rights, and color, race, language and the like proper education. Throughout the history of shall not be a privilege."9 the land, education has failed to play its due role. Both foreign and domestic exploitations Second, the Islamic Republic may allow the under the previous regimes had been respon- Baloch to have a vital role in the political ad- sible for the lack of development in ministration of Balochestan. Article 3 of the Balochestan. The Sunni clerics, as the leading Constitution says that "the Islamic Republic is elite of Baloch society, should go for reforms required to provide political and civil liberties in their methods of teachings; they should not within the framework of law, to eliminate un- be authoritarian in their approach. They should desirable discrimination, and to create equal propagate Islamic principles in such a way to opportunities for all in all material fields or oth- eradicate or reduce the societal problems. erwise."10 Under the legal framework, Islamic Fourthly, Baloch should make their presence Republic can allow and encourage Baloch to more active and meaningful in the overall or- enjoy their cultural and social activities such ganization of the society to the extent that cen- as the establishment of their own academic and tral government may realize their significant cultural institutions. In this regard, this freedom presence. Under such conditions only Baloch has been given to the Baloch in the Constitu- can carry much weight in the administration. tion, where it says, "The common and official language and script of the people of Iran is State approach: On the other hand, however, Farsi. Official documents, correspondence and the Islamic Republic of Iran must have certain texts as well as textbooks must be in this lan- responsibilities to tackle the internal crisis guage and script. However, the use of local and www.sspconline.org 8 SSPC ISSUE BRIEF ethnic languages in the press and mass media not need to allocate huge funds; rather it needs or the teaching of their literatures in schools, diplomacy. along with Farsi, shall be free."11 Sixth, the Iranian administration should better Third, the government can also look upon the lean towards a federal system of governance Sunnis and the Shias as equal without discrimi- rather than a totally centralized one, because nation in employment. For example, Article 23 under a federal system the burden and respon- states that "investigation of one's beliefs shall sibility of the central government can be mini- be prohibited and no one may be offended or mized to a great extent. The administration of reprimanded simply because of having a cer- Balochestan, though not totally, should partly tain belief." Besides, government can appoint be handed over to the loyal, enlightened, ca- reliable agencies to check the behaviour of pable and qualified Baloch. This policy will be those public institutions which practice dis- helpful for the Islamic Republic itself; it can crimination and nepotism in employment. minimize the security concerns of the state in Balochestan. Fourth, in order to eradicate political tensions in Balochestan, there is no need for the central Seventh, Balochestan is situated in a highly sen- government to allocate millions of dollars in sitive zone. Ideological differences, if not con- the region. The central government can nego- trolled, can explode any time. Politics of vio- tiate with influential and faithful Baloch, re- lence can trigger a chain reaction and so can- spect them, and empower them with limited not be regarded as a suitable prescription. Thus, authority to tackle security matters in the prov- in order to postpone or fight the Western strat- ince. The government should appoint reliable egies, it is in the interest of the Islamic Repub- and experienced people to look after matters lic to revise her policies towards the Iranian justly. Unfortunately, this has not happened so minorities and adopt a more flexible relation- far. ship with them.

Fifth, in a sensitive Sunni-populated area like Finally, better diplomacy on the part of the Is- Balochestan, on key positions such as gover- lamic state towards the Baloch can change the norship, the government should appoint nei- atmosphere for good; it can challenge the op- ther dogmatic Shias nor fanatical Sunnis; it position. The opposition can find no reason- should go for moderate, experienced, and trust- able grounds to fight the policies of the Islamic worthy local figures; because, fanatical people Republic in Balochestan, providing that, gov- look upon matters through their narrow-minded ernment absorbs the Baloch into its political visions. In Balochestan, all those religious is- system. In turn, when the Baloch feel the ac- sues which have a threat potential to national commodating attitude of the administration, security should be discouraged. For example, they may not come under the influence of the instead of arranging conflicting programmes opposition; rather they may cooperate with a like encouraging the Sunnis to become Shia, friendly government in preserving the security. the government should work on unified programmes, focusing on those religious issues that do not ignite dispute between the Shias and the Sunnis. In doing so, government does

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Notes general secretary of national party (East Balochestan), and Shama Is'haq of NP (East (1) On the activities of "Balochestan Libera- Balochestan); the incident took place on May tion Front" in Iran, two authors have dealt with 21, 2006. the issue. Hossainbor Mohammad Hassan, Iran & Its Nationalities: the Case of Baloch Na- (6) Hojatoleslam Solemani, "Get together: su- tionalism, Pakistani Adab Publications, preme leadership representative office and Karachi, 2000, pp. 152-164. And, Harrison, Baloch students", presented at the first annual Selig S, In Afghanistan's Shadow: Baloch Na- conference on the Islamic unity session, Lead- tionalism and Soviet Temptations, New York, ership Office branch, Zahedan, 2008. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1981, pp.107-108. (7) Hossainbor Mohammad Hassan, Iran & Its Nationalities: The Case of Baloch Nationalism, (2)"Jundollah's policies, activities, and reports", Pakistani Adab Publication, Karachi, 2000, p. since 2005, at http:// 168. www.jonbeshmardomiran.blogspot.com (8) Abdol Malek Rigi's speech, minutes before (3) "Interview with Molavi Ahmad Narooie", his attack on Iranian security forces, at Tassoki, 2007, at http://www. sunnionline.net is available at youtube.com/watch?v=417- DvjWWdM (4) The following are few of the main opposition groups which are active against the Islamic (9) M.Z. Samimi Kia, "rights of the nation," Republic of Iran. The Baloch Society of North the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran America; Balochistan United Front (federal re- (with all amendments up to 1989), Director- publican); Balochestan National Movement- ate-General of International Agreements 1995,, Iran (Balochistan Raji Zrombesh); And, Radio Office of Print & Distribution of Balochi FM, News Agency of Balochestan D.G.S.L.R.,Tehran, 1989, p. 15. Human Rights Activists Association. (10) Ibid., p. 11. (5) The demonstration was addressed by Abdollah Baloch of BAC, by Hasel Bezanjo, (11) M.Z. Samimi Kia, no. 9.

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