RECONFIGURING IDENTITY AND RESISTANCE: NATIONALIST POLITICS IN POST-MUSHARRAF BALOCHISTAN

Abstract

This research paper seeks to provide answers related to Baloch hyper nationalism issues. It will explore the relationship between identity politics, nationalism state coercions.  Balochistan is the largest province in terms of area, yet least developed and deprived of basic infrastructure. Keeping this fact in mind, an effort has been made to analyze nationalism and conflict in Pakistan by finding research gaps with respect to the social and economic framework of Baloch nationalism. The marginalization issue has been the prime driver of Hyper nationalism in Baloch. Marginalization and alienation of Balochistan from broader modernization initiatives have increased sentiments of alienation and fostered nationalist ideologies rooted in ethnic identity. Centrifugal ethnic, linguistic, and regional pressures have been strengthened by successive periods of authoritarian control. This is seen in the worsening situation since Musharraf's rule and the Baloch nationalists' conflict with the state, which is being viewed as a form of civil war. Additionally, this paper shows that a state-centric strategy is insufficient. Enhancing the socioeconomic situation and the political culture that goes along with it, as well as the conditions surrounding the Balochistan issue, must also receive attention.