Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2010-03 Baloch-Islamabad tensions : problems of national integration Pipes, Gregory D. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/5439 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS THE BALOCH-ISLAMABAD TENSIONS: PROBLEMS OF NATIONAL INTEGRATION by Gregory D. Pipes March 2010 Thesis Co-Advisors: S. Paul Kapur Feroz H. Khan Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED March 2010 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE The Baloch-Islamabad Tensions: Problems of 5. FUNDING NUMBERS National Integration 6. AUTHOR(S) Gregory D. Pipes, MAJ, U.S. Army 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited 13. ABSTRACT Pakistan’s “other problem,” the insurgency of the ethnic Baloch, is threatening to tear the nation apart. It is an old problem with deep wounds both in Islamabad and among the Baloch people. While explanations of this problem vary, they tend to follow two primary theories. One theory, called here the “Islamabad Theory,” asserts that the blame for the difficulty between Islamabad and the Baloch lies in the policies and strategies taken by the Pakistani government. A second theory, which this thesis labels the “Baloch Theory,” places the blame for the lack of Baloch integration on the culture and capabilities of the Baloch people. Their hierarchical, chief-centered culture, as well as capabilities gained through foreign influences has pushed them away from integration with Islamabad. This thesis evaluates both theories to ascertain which theory more accurately reflects the realities inherent in the Baloch-Islamabad problem. It finds that components of each theory significantly contribute to the problems. In particular, the Sardari system ,as described in the Baloch theory, presents tremendous obstacles for integration. However, after evaluating each theory, this thesis concludes that the Islamabad theory most accurately explains the failure of the Baloch people to integrate into Pakistan. 14. SUBJECT TERMS Baloch, Baluch, Balochi, Baluchi, Balochistan, Baluchistan, Pakistan, 15. NUMBER OF Islamabad, Insurgency, Afghanistan, India PAGES 103 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited BALOCH-ISLAMABAD TENSIONS: PROBLEMS OF NATIONAL INTEGRATION Gregory D. Pipes Major, United States Army B.S., United States Military Academy, 1998 A.A., Defense Language Institute, 2008 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES (MIDDLE EAST, SOUTH ASIA, SUB-SAHARAN) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL March 2010 Author: Gregory D. Pipes Approved by: S. Paul Kapur, Ph.D. Thesis Co-Advisor Feroz Hassan Khan, Brigadier (Ret), Pakistan Army Thesis Co-Advisor Harold A. Trinkunas, Ph.D. Chairman, Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT Pakistan’s “other problem,” the insurgency of the ethnic Baloch, is threatening to tear the nation apart. It is an old problem with deep wounds both in Islamabad and among the Baloch people. While explanations of this problem vary, they tend to follow two primary theories. One theory, called here the “Islamabad Theory,” asserts that the blame for the difficulty between Islamabad and the Baloch lies in the policies and strategies taken by the Pakistani government. A second theory, which this thesis labels the “Baloch Theory,” places the blame for the lack of Baloch integration on the culture and capabilities of the Baloch people. Their hierarchical, chief-centered culture, as well as capabilities gained through foreign influences has pushed them away from integration with Islamabad. This thesis evaluates both theories to ascertain which theory more accurately reflects the realities inherent in the Baloch-Islamabad problem. It finds that components of each theory significantly contribute to the problems. In particular, the Sardari system, as described in the Baloch theory, presents tremendous obstacles for integration. However, after evaluating each theory, this thesis concludes that the Islamabad theory most accurately explains the failure of the Baloch people to integrate into Pakistan. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................. 1 A. BACKGROUND ................................................................................... 1 B. RESEARCH QUESTION...................................................................... 3 C. RELEVANCE ....................................................................................... 3 D. PROBLEMS AND HYPOTHESIS ........................................................ 5 E. LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................ 6 1. The Islamabad Theory............................................................. 8 2. The Baloch Theory ................................................................ 10 F. METHODS AND SOURCES .............................................................. 12 G. THESIS OVERVIEW .......................................................................... 13 II. BACKGROUND HISTORY OF THE TENSIONS BETWEEN ISLAMABAD AND THE BALOCH PEOPLE ...................................................................... 15 A. INTRODUCTION................................................................................ 15 B. ACCESSION INTO PAKISTAN—THE FIRST BALOCH INSURGENCY ................................................................................... 16 C. THE RESPONSE TO ONE UNIT—THE SECOND INSURGENCY.... 17 D. BANGLADESH’S SHADOW—THE THIRD BALOCH INSURGENCY ................................................................................... 18 E. THE FOURTH INSURGENCY—RESOURCES AND THE MILITARY .......................................................................................... 19 F. ATTEMPTS AT INTEGRATION......................................................... 20 G. CONCLUSION ................................................................................... 21 III. THE ISLAMABAD THEORY......................................................................... 23 A. INTRODUCTION................................................................................ 23 B. POLITICAL DEPRIVATION ............................................................... 23 C. ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION ............................................................ 25 1. Expropriation of Resources.................................................. 26 2. Biased Financial Policies...................................................... 27 3. Exclusion from National Benefits......................................... 27 D. MILITARY EXCESS ........................................................................... 28 E. POLICIES AND INSURGENT ACTIVITY........................................... 30 1. Baloch Insurgent Attacks, 2003–2009.................................. 30 2. Islamabad’s Policies Towards the Baloch, 2003–2009....... 33 3. Analysis.................................................................................. 35 F. CONCLUSION ................................................................................... 38 IV. THE BALOCH THEORY............................................................................... 39 A. THE TRIBAL CULTURE OF THE BALOCH...................................... 39 1. The Baloch—Chief-Centered Tribes .................................... 41 2. Hierarchical Tribes and the State ......................................... 43 3. Conclusion ............................................................................. 44 B. CAPABILITIES—THE “FOREIGN HAND” AMONG THE BALOCH. 44 vii 1. A Historical Perspective on Foreign Involvement with the Baloch ............................................................................