WRITER: SHOLAN BALOCH
If we look at the history of Baloch we find that the Baloch women have a gigantic role in the history. We see Baloch women in every field to perform and show their incapability.
In the history of Baloch from 1839 to 2026, we have seen great personalities engaged with the problems of Baloch society and shown resistance against everyone who wants to colonise the Baloch land, take away our natural resources and the Baloch Ocean.
If we talk about Baloch women, the first name that comes to mind is Bibi Banadi Baloch. She was the daughter of Meer Shayak Rind, a former Sardar of the Rind tribe, which is one of the biggest tribes in the Baloch nation. She was also the sister of Meer Chakar Khan Rind, a former Rind Sardar during the war between the Rind and Lashari tribes in the early 1500s.
During that war, the Mughal ruler Humayun was on the side of Meer Chakar Khan Rind and gave the Rind tribe a lot of support against the Lashari tribe. In return for this favour, Meer Chakar Khan Rind decided to fight for Humayun when India was attacked by the Afghan king Sher Shah Suri. Meer Chakar Khan Rind took his sons and his sister, Bibi Banadi Baloch, to fight against Sher Shah Suri. In this battle, Bibi Banadi Baloch had the responsibility of commanding the war and all the soldiers, which shows the ability, resistance, and boldness of Baloch women in ancient times.
In every era, and from generation to generation, Baloch women have played a significant role in Baloch history. Besides Bibi Banadi, we have other examples, such as Bibi Gull Bibi, a female commander and freedom fighter in Baloch history. She is known for her resistance against British colonialism during World War I in the Western Balochistan region. She belonged to the Yar Ahmed Zai tribe in Western Balochistan, and around 1916 her tribe resisted British imperialists over supply lines and territorial control. Gull Bibi emerged as a prominent military strategist and commander. She shows the resistance of Baloch women against any colonialism and their love for their land, which enables women to stand with men to protect the motherland and give a better future to upcoming Baloch generations.
After 1948, Balochistan was colonized by Pakistan because of all the resources present in Baloch land and because of the Baloch Ocean, which connects the whole world and has great importance in world trade (it is one of the biggest trade routes in the world).
Against Pakistan, Baloch women have also shown resistance and have taken part in Baloch political parties, the Baloch military Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Baloch intelligence, showing their strength against Pakistan.
Against Pakistan, we have many great personalities and huge examples of people who fought for Balochistan and Baloch land until their last breath but did not compromise with those who colonized our motherland and camouflaged Baloch history (which is 11,000 years old) with their allies and propaganda.
From Zarina Marri Baloch to Bibi Almas Baloch, these 21 years show the peak of Baloch women’s resistance, because in this period Baloch women have shown their abilities in every field, fearlessly, whether in politics or in military operations and have mobilized everywhere and every female of Balochistan. Nowadays we are seeing the results of all the struggle shown by Baloch intellectuals.
If we look at the story of Zarina Marri Baloch, she was a 23-year-old schoolteacher and a resident of Kohlu, Balochistan. In 2005, she was forcibly taken by the Pakistani army and military intelligence along with her innocent child and since then her whereabouts have remained unknown. Zarina Baloch’s only fault is that she is the heir of a land full of resources and she is also well educated. She is a Baloch intellectual who is still missing today, but she will always be in our hearts for her sacrifices for Baloch land and Baloch honour.
Balochistan is a fortunate land because it gave birth to Lumma Banuk Karima, Bibi Almas Baloch, and all their companions who sacrificed their lives for this motherland. Naturally, from Lumma to Almas, every single Baloch woman who has given her life shows that if the motherland needs women’s blood, they are ready at any time and anywhere. In battle, there is no gender; there is only one thing: resistance. Bondage is not only a problem of men; it is a problem of our nation, and fifty percent of any nation consists of women. So, for their liberation and to gain their secular land, we need to struggle together in every field. We have equal responsibility, whether it is war or politics. Nowadays we see Baloch women in every field, which shows that the Baloch struggle is in good hands and that we have done a lot. Pakistan is on its knees, and the day is not far when Balochistan will be liberated and we will have our own land with our own rules and regulations. That is the day desired by the entire Baloch nation and by those great personalities who sacrificed themselves for the Baloch nation, Baloch land, and Azad Balochistan.
Finally, I appreciate all the iron-willed women who are struggling for the Baloch and the Baloch nation. We are always with you, our sisters. Keep up your struggle; it deserves far more than these words can express.
