A History of the Baloch and Balochistan
By Mir Naseer Khan Ahmedzai Kambarani Baloch
Oxford University Press
ISBN: 978-969-7343-11-9
564pp.

There is no dearth of books written by local and foreign authors on the Baloch and their history, especially during the colonial period. Baloch history is extensive and ancient, like every other nation in the region. Balochistan had a state of its own by the name of Kalat, which was invaded by the British in 1839. Since then Kalat, which covered the entire area of present-day Balochistan, came under the rule of the British. Of course, that changed at the time of Partition of the Subcontinent in 1947. But today, the original region of Balochistan is not a part of Pakistan entirely. It is spread into three countries, namely, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

But a recently published book, A History of the Baloch And Balochistan by Mir Naseer Khan Ahmedzai Kambarani Baloch, delves deeper into the history of the Baloch and Balochistan, even before the formation of the Kalat state in the 17th century.

It is interesting to note that the book is derived from the extensive eight-volume series, Tarikh-i-Baloch va Balochistan, which was written by Mir Naseer Khan Ahmedzai Kambarani (1919-2013) in Urdu in 1988. But the present publication has been eloquently translated in an abridged form from the said eight volumes.

Mir Naseer Khan was a prolific author, and he hailed from the Ahmedzai clan of the Kalat state, who had been the rulers of Kalat state since its establishment in 1666. He was himself a Vizier-i-Darbar of the Kalat state before Partition. After Partition, he was also a deputy commissioner there. Moreover, he also served as a professor of Balochi and Brahui languages at the University of Balochistan. He had witnessed firsthand certain parts of the colonial history of the Baloch which he writes about in his book, as well as after the partition of the Subcontinent, when Balochistan was made a part of Pakistan.

An abridged English translation of eight volumes on the history of the Baloch and their land provides exhaustive information for all those interested in the region and the people

It is, of course, an exhaustive read for all good reasons, going through the annals of Baloch history. Among other things, such as the history of his people — the Ahmedzais of Kalat — the author talks in the beginning chapters of the book, about both the local and foreign authors whose books have been published from time to time, about the Baloch and their history. Doing so, he does not digress; instead, he sticks to his own forte while narrating the history of his own Baloch people.

Interestingly enough, Mir Naseer Khan’s book provides all the details that one can yearn for. For instance, besides writing about the ethnic origin and history of the Baloch and their land, the book also contains interesting religious anecdotes about the people. For example, the Baloch, who were Zoroastrians in ancient times, converted to Islam voluntarily at the time of the Arabs’ rule. “It is a recorded fact that the Baloch tribes accepted Islam at the time of Hazrat Umar,” Mir Naseer Khan writes in his book. However, before that, he brings to light an informative anecdote that “after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (RA), the Baloch (who were known as Akrad Baloch at the time) began to hate Yazid. All the tribes held mourning meetings, in which they expressed their sorrow over the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and prayed for the welfare of his soul.”

From the lens of history, and like today, Balochistan’s position has been strategically significant. This is one of the reasons Arab conquerors used to have a soft corner for the Baloch, so much so that they used to have military alliances with them in ancient times. Over and over again, since then or even before that, the land of Balochistan has not been immune to military conflict. The same strategic calculus has attracted China to Gwadar, which may yet turn into a flashpoint between giant powers in the region.

Besides the other details, Mir Naseer Khan has extensively written about the Kalat state, which stretched from parts of Iran and Afghanistan and into Sindh as well as the whole of present-day Balochistan at its peak in the mid-18th century, under the Ahmedzai rulers. It is to be noted that the author himself is the son-in-law and cousin of the last ruler of the Kalat state, Mir Ahmed Yar Khan (Khan of Kalat from 1933-1955). Mir Ahmed Yar (d. 1979) too, has authored a book, titled Inside Baluchistan. The book is his political autobiography.

Moreover, Mir Naseer Khan is the grandson of the Khan of Kalat Mir Khudadad Khan (1857-1863 and then again 1864-1893). The ruling dynasty of Kalat reigned for almost three centuries in the region.

Besides being part of the Kalat dynasty, the author also witnessed the accession of Kalat state to Pakistan in 1948, the formation of the Balochistan States Union in 1952, the merger with Pakistan under One Unit in 1955, and then the formation of Balochistan as a separate province in 1970.

With the arrival of the British in the region, the state of Kalat lost its glory, and was subjugated. In 1839, the British attacked the Kalat state. Instead of giving up and conceding defeat at the hands of the colonial power, the then Khan of Kalat, Shaheed Mir Mehrab Khan Ahmedzai, stood up against them. He did not bow down to them.

Mir Mehrab Khan’s bravery is a testament to the Baloch cause, that he, instead of sacrificing his motherland, which his nation had bestowed upon him, sacrificed his own life fighting for it.

During the first Afghan war (1838-1842), the British were apprehensive about the rising Russian threat via Afghanistan. Thus, they wanted, in the words of the author Mir Naseer Khan, “a puppet to place on the throne of Afghanistan.” Similarly, in order to make that possible, they wanted the same in Balochistan because, during those days, Persia, too, was standing by Russia.

“When the British threatened to attack Ameer Mehrab in Kalat and replace him with Mir Shahnawaz, not a single chief came to his aid. First the British sent an inflammatory letter to the Ameer [to] lure him into attacking them, but Ameer Mehrab remained silent and peaceful,” Mir Naseer Khan writes in his book. “Consequently, the British army launched a sudden and unprovoked attack on Kalat on 13 November, 1839. Ameer Mehrab was defeated and killed and the British installed Ameer Shahnawaz on the masnad [throne] of Balochistan.”

After that, the state of Kalat lost its glory, even though Ameer Mehrab’s son, Mir Naseer Khan II, obtained the throne later on when the colonial rule had already spread its tentacles in Balochistan. Since then, one development after the other continued to strengthen the hands of the colonial power.

At the time, there were two views regarding British policy in Balochistan. Mir Naseer Khan sheds light on them. “British officials in Sindh wanted to maintain Balochistan’s status as a buffer state, but those in Punjab differed,” he writes. “Their view was that, since Balochistan had a coastline, and if a pro-Russian ruler gained power in Afghanistan, it would be very easy [for Russia] to gain access to warm waters.”

As a result, the central government in India sided with the views of their Punjab officials to end Balochistan’s independent status in order to annex it. It did not stop there: Balochistan was further divided up between Iran and Afghanistan by the Goldsmith Line (1871) and the McMahon Line (1896).

In the last chapters of the book, the writer talks about Mir Ahmed Yar Khan Ahmedzai, the last ruler of the Kalat state. Among other topics of utmost interest, he also brings to light political developments in Balochistan. However, the author does seem to favour Mir Ahmed Yar Khan in some ways. For instance, he became the ruler of the Kalat state at the expense of his elder brother, Mir Aslam Jan Ahmedzai. There is not even a mention of it, besides other such developments.

Nevertheless, the author has done a great and exhaustive service to the people of Baloch and Balochistan through his informative and detailed book about them and their motherland. And the abridged English translation will certainly make it more accessible to a wider audience interested in the area. For them, it is indeed a must read.

The reviewer is a member of staff

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, March 10TH, 2024